Shadow's Reign
by Quatre Winner
Summary: Dr. Yugi Mutou was never the luckiest man. When his first mission goes disastrously wrong and he ends up as the host of an outcast Tok'ra, it's normal for him. The Tok'ra has a stalker of his own, however, one that will put Earth itself in grave danger.
1. Chapter 1

All right, folks, here's something I bet you didn't see coming. Remember that old fic of mine, Shadow Stargate Redone? Well, it's dead, and this isn't it. Before you click away, however, I would ask that you give this a chance. I was reading a fic called "Embers" by Vathara and, while reading that, this bit popped into my head almost fully written. I realize that Embers isn't either Stargate OR Yu-Gi-Oh, but it wasn't the plot that inspired as much as the writing style. I hope Vathara keeps writing, she's such an awesome inspiration.

This is set ten years after the end of the YGO anime. As such, there are spoilers for those who haven't dared see the end (like I haven't). As far as Stargate is concerned, this is before Danny Ascended the first time.

Many thanks to my usual beta JK and sometimes-beta Eria for helping me beat this thing into submission. Also thanks to Lizeth for helping me with the name.

Warnings... there might be several. Beware of allusions to rape, not-quite-allusions to torture, and me just putting Yugi through hell. No pairings to be heard of, either.

I don't own Stargate or Yu-Gi-Oh. All I'm hoping to get off of this work is warm and fuzzy feelings.

* * *

Yugi trembled on his knees before the Goa'uld, gulping back his tears as he thought back to his family. His family would never know what had happened to him, would only know that he had vanished without a trace. Jounouchi would rant at the Air Force, demand answers, but to no avail. He could see them in his mind's eye, Jounouchi crying into Anzu's shoulder as the brunette held him, letting her own tears fall free as she tried to comfort the blonde duelist. Honda would be still as death, Bakura only a faint, sympathetic presence, and Otogi… who knew. Maybe Otogi, with his classified Defense contracts, would know. Seto would, certainly – no security system on the planet would stop him. Would he share that knowledge?

"You may leave us," a cold, deep, echoing voice directed the armored guards on either side of the linguist. Yugi couldn't even look up at the dilapidated body before him, at the eyes holding a hint of gold behind their depths. He didn't know why he'd been singled out for this. Surely the aging Goa'uld would find one of the soldiers more useful. They were fit, vital, and certainly not ugly. For him, the slight linguist with no other discernable skills, to be chosen as a Goa'uld host…

The young man clenched his fists in the dirt. He had experience with others in his mind, even if Atem was ten years in the past. He thought he might be able to fight, when it counted. Maybe if he surprised the Goa'uld, he could buy his friends a few precious seconds to escape. But there would be no escape for him. He could see it now, centuries of being trapped in his own mind. How had Bakura been able to stand it for just the few years he'd been at the Thief King's mercy?

The sound of heavy footsteps retreated to the hallway, the door sliding shut in their wake. Yugi didn't dare look behind him, knowing that any movement against the aged man before him would end only in his death. But wasn't death a better alternative than what he was facing?

"You can stand," the Goa'uld said, his voice still echoing but not commanding. "I'm not so stuck on formality that you have to kneel. We're going to be very well acquainted after all, right?"

Yugi looked up, regarding the elderly face, a smile so easily plastered on it. "If you have decided," he said carefully, "Why haven't you acted?" Not that he minded being in control of his own body for a few more moments. The longer he stalled, the more likely it was that help would come. The SGC would certainly send help, and if he was lucky, SG-1 would be available. All he had to do was hope.

The Goa'uld struggled to sit upright in his sickbed. "Because I'm a different sort of Goa'uld," he said simply. "I'm giving you a choice. Be my host of your own will. Or join your friends in the execution grounds."

That… wasn't what Yugi had been expecting. "You're giving me a choice?" he repeated dubiously, rocking back on his heels. "But why would you do that?"

"I like my hosts compliant," the Goa'uld shrugged. "When they're not fighting, it's so much quieter in my head. Besides…" And Yugi would swear that the elderly man winked. "Sometimes, I reward my hosts for their good behavior."

The linguist blinked. "You take willing hosts…" His eyes widened at the impossibility. "You're-!"

A trembling finger was pressed to lips. "I'll need your answer. The guards aren't nearly as patient." But beyond the alien smirk was gentle honesty, so much different than the arrogance that was Yggdrasil. He might have been a minor lord in Anubis' service, but he still possessed the air of one who believed he ruled the universe. This unknown Goa'uld was more like…

Yugi swallowed. "I want your word," he dared, knowing that the Goa'uld had all the freedom to lie. "Don't betray my friends. Claim that I didn't hold that level of competence, that this was a training exercise, I don't care what your excuse is." He lowered his eyes, hiding the tears that were gathering in them, praying that the other couldn't see his trembling hands. It was a trial to speak without his voice breaking, knowing what he was willingly giving up. "But please," he whispered, "Don't betray them."

The Goa'uld regarded him somberly. "I will do what I can. But I cannot promise more than that."

The tears fell, but Yugi wiped them away determinedly. "All right. I agree. What do I do?"

"Just come forward, lean over, and close your eyes."

Yugi rose to trembling knees, tripping over the few steps to the Goa'uld's bed. Leaning over like this, the man looked so frail. Sunken eyes, thin limbs… Even if the Goa'uld were stronger than normal humans, it didn't seem like it would take much for Yugi to press his hands just _so_…

…and then have to deal with the angry guards outside. Yugi shook away those thoughts. Besides, if he was right, then this Goa'uld was more than he appeared.

Golden eyes seemed to smile, despite all things. "Thank you," the alien whispered. Yugi closed his eyes to block out that expression, deceptively kind as it was. He felt weak hands on his head guiding him downwards, trusting that he would not break away. And Yugi wouldn't. He'd promised not to.

The Goa'uld moved him so that their faces were inches apart, breaths mingling together in the space between them. Yugi clenched his fists in the bedspread, trying to focus on that and not what was to come. He didn't want to feel gentle fingers prying his mouth open. He wanted to remember the times before, when he'd had a kind soul-partner that would never dare to do what he was inviting this alien to do now.

_Atem_, Yugi moaned inside, grieving his partner.

And then there was pain, Yugi choking around something that forced its way through the back of his throat. He jerked backwards reflexively but it was too late, now-limp hands thudding softly to the mattress. The linguist didn't have to look to know that the other was dead, no longer having alien strength to support it. He had his own problems, however. The Goa'uld was in his head and already he could feel it dampening his consciousness, shoving him out of control with far more force than Atem had ever used. Yugi was crying, though his eyes no longer showed it.

The Goa'uld used his body to rise, dusting dirt from his pants disdainfully. _Thank you for not fighting_, he told the grieving man inside. _Now that there is no chance we will be overheard, I will confirm your suspicions. I am the Tok'ra spy in Yggdrasil's ranks. And as soon as I am recalled, I will return your form to you._

Yugi willed his consciousness into his soul room, settling on the plushie-strewn bed morosely. _Just remember your promise._

_Yes. I will do what I can to spare the Taur'i. And as for my name…_ The Goa'uld approached the doors and opened them with an impatient jab at the controls. "I have taken this boy as my host," he declared, voice confirming his words indisputably. "Dispose of my former host with the reverence you would have for your gods."

"Yes, my lord." The guards saluted and walked past, unperturbed by the change of face. And, if Yugi was any expert on the Tok'ra, his new occupant would have gone through hosts far faster than any other Goa'uld.

… _I am Amemait_, the Goa'uld finished. _Now then_, he thought brightly, heading for the wardrobe room and the attendants waiting there, _let's get dressed. We have an appearance in Yggdrasil's court.

* * *

_

How SG-1 got stuck with these missions, Jack groused as he was kneeling on yet another golden floor in front of yet another Goa'uld System Lord, he would chalk up to sheer bad luck. It seemed SG-1 was the team that got stuck doing the stupid missions, including rescuing another team that had gotten caught. It seemed, by the bloodstains on the floor mere inches from soiling the Colonel's pants, they'd arrived too late. He could only pray that the System Lord had been merciful.

By the cruel smirk playing on gold-painted lips, SG-5 had suffered. Jack beat down his fury with patience born of experience. He would get out of this, he swore. He'd get revenge for Lieutenant Grace, Captain Ratchet, and Major Irin, as well as Dr. Mutou. The kind young man, barely out of college, had been recommended by one of Daniel's contacts as the best when it came to Ancient Egyptian, on par with Daniel himself. If Jack was feeling angry at this, his archaeologist had to be fuming. Not to mention that it would be Daniel informing Sugoroku that his grandson wouldn't be coming home.

"And it seems SG-1, true to Taur'i sensibilities, has fallen into my web." The black hair tied back with trailing golden ribbons, the golden circlet holding Yggdrasil's symbol against the man's forehead, the golden eyes gleaming with anticipation… Yggdrasil looked every bit the god he proclaimed himself to be. Jack willed himself not to glance away. Doing so would yield the advantage, show that he'd given up. The Colonel wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction. "Will you be more forthcoming than your companions, I wonder?"

"Not really," Jack drawled. _I'm just glad Teal'c's back home. He'd be dead already_. "But I'm sure you knew that much."

"Of course." Yggdrasil glanced at something behind them, his smirk becoming a genuine smile. "But I am not without a backup plan." The Goa'uld rose to greet the person that had come in behind them. "Welcome, my dear. I had feared you would be absent at these glorious moments."

Jack didn't dare look behind him, dreading what he would see. _There wasn't enough blood for all of them_, he realized sickeningly. _I thought they'd cleaned some up, to make it more bearable for their "gods". But they revel in death, I should have guessed…_

Yugi Mutou walked into view, no longer clad in SGC's uniform. He wore an outfit of pale tan and dark sand, tunic and pants much like that Ancient Egyptian nobility had worn, much more tasteful than Yggdrasil's glaring ensemble of earthy leaves and blood reds. Decking his arms, throat, and forehead were golden bands, incorporating the tree branch that was Yggdrasil's symbol into their designs artfully. Jack could have appreciated the skill it took to craft them, if not for the fact that he had already half-risen to his feet without thinking.

"Mutou!" he snapped, echoing Daniel's shocked murmur, Sam's choked sob. "Mutou, tell me you're still in there!" It was a hopeless plea, he knew. One of the Jaffa ringing the room stepped forward and struck his legs hard, sending him back to his knees.

"Kneel before your gods!" the warrior reproached.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack groused, rubbing the abused muscles as much as he dared. "I get the point." He leveled a glare at the boy who was no longer his responsibility, except maybe to grant a merciful death. It was the least he could do…

Mutou's body was smiling, tracing Yggrasil's chin with a loving hand. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything," he murmured endearingly, voice echoing like only a Goa'uld's could. Jack thought he was going to be sick. "I only wish you had granted me the female. These male bodies are getting… boring."

"She took her own life," Yggdrasil informed him regretfully. "But we will make due, as we always have."

Jack couldn't tear his eyes away from the two, no matter how his stomach was roiling sympathetically. _At least Grace didn't suffer_, he told himself, a small comfort.

Firmly plastered to the System Lord's side, the Goa'uld in Mutou's body sought out Jack's gaze… and winked.

"Unfortunately," the unknown Goa'uld sighed, "We have had bad luck this time. My host was new to the Taur'i's SGC. He did not have access to their sensitive information. We will have to gain it from elsewhere."

It took all of Jack's training to keep his surprise from his face, although he traded glances with Sam, next to him, and Daniel, the last in their little line of those condemned to a fate worse than death. _But Mutou was a full member of SG-5. That meant he had his own GDO and knew their code, as well as ways to get to Earth since he knew his code wouldn't work after we'd confirmed they'd been captured. That Goa'uld would know that, too. _

Jacob's words before they'd departed suddenly struck him. _"I'm not sure how reliable this intel is,"_ the Tok'ra had warned them, the dialing Stargate rumbling in the background. _"But Selmac thinks he remembers that we sent a spy into Yggdrasil's midst. Nothing has been heard from her in centuries, it is likely that she's been found… but if Faizah and Amemait could survive this long, they may be able to help you. Amemait might not be obvious but she will know you for what you are and she will help you, where she can."_

_Hot damn,_ Jack thought, too stunned to move. _Mutou must have an incredible amount of luck. And if that little wink was what I thought it was…_

The Colonel glanced sideways, caught Sam's glance. She flashed a quick hand sign, too quick for Yggdrasil to catch… hopefully. If they were wrong and the unknown Goa'uld saw them, they were worse than dead.

_I saw it too._ Sam blinked deliberately and glanced at Mutou. Another hand sign. _Orders?_

Jack signed _wait, watch_. "So, Yggdrasil, friend of yours?" he drawled.

"You will not speak of my wife in that tone!" the System Lord warned him. "Lady Amemait, no matter her form, will always be dear to me, far more than your pathetic lives."

Wife. Terrific. Even if she was in a male host, Amemait was Yggdrasil's _wife_. That made her loyalties unclear, and Jack hated that.

"You know the opinions of those lower than us have never bothered me," Amemait crooned sweetly, turning her husband's face towards her own. "Let us be finished with the filth and attend to important matters, hm?"

And then faster than the eye could follow a dagger had slashed Yggdrasil's throat, Amemait's eyes blazing golden fire. Her chest heaved once before her breathing was wrested back under control and she glared at the still-stunned Jaffa ringing the room.

"The filth has been disposed of," she said matter-of-factly. "And for the record… being his wife _sucked_. Being female sucked. I like being a male, it's sooo much better."

SG-1 could only stare along with the rest of the Jaffa. "Er, Amemait…" a shocked Jack began.

Amemait sighed. "We'd better get out of here before these bad boys get their senses back," he said matter-of-factly, claiming Yggdrasil's ribbon device and a zat for himself. The zat went into good use, downing many of the Jaffa who only just began to bring their weapons to bear. Jack, Sam, and Daniel grappled with the rest, coming out the winners without much trouble.

"So," Jack said, not quite pointing his appropriated zat at their tentative ally. "I thought the Tok'ra didn't take unwilling hosts."

Amemait tilted his head thoughtfully. "Yugi was unwilling," he allowed. "But he guessed at what I was, and I promised to do what I could to help, so he agreed. When I get back to my people I will relinquish his body back to him."

"Let's hear it for ourselves," Daniel demanded. It wasn't like they could trust him, exactly. He could easily fake Mutou's personality to gain trust. But it was worth a shot.

"Let's do that on the move," Amemait advised. "The Stargate is a few rooms down, Yggdrasil wanted to have escape close at hand. But I do know of your Iris and thought this would help," he added as an afterthought, producing a GDO from the folds of his tunic. Jack accepted the device and indicated for the maybe-Tok'ra to precede him into the corridor.

They got to the Stargate without incident. Sam guarded the door, Jack guarded Amemait, and Daniel dialed for home.

"You didn't think to grab a radio, did you?" Jack asked as an afterthought. Amemait produced it from his shirt, handing it to Jack without any signs of reluctance. He'd been more cooperative than any Tok'ra SG-1 had ever worked with, Jacob and Selmac aside.

The Stargate connected, the blue wormhole splashing out before stabilizing into the familiar puddle of water. Jack entered SG-1's code, then pressed the button on his radio. "Hi General, did you miss us?"

"What's the situation, Colonel?" Hammond asked wearily.

"We're not under fire – yet. Tell Selmac we might have found his Tok'ra, he killed Yggdrasil but good. Most of SG-5 is dead, we have no injuries, we're just waiting for the okay to come home." Jack rattled it off like the morning news.

"The iris is open, come on home," Hammond replied. "Jacob's waiting in the briefing room."

* * *

Amemait didn't seem to mind that most of the guns in the briefing room were pointed at him. He was leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, eyes closed and seemingly unconcerned about the goings-on around him. SG-1 was currently dropping off their mission gear and would be back in just a moment, which left the Tok'ra alone with General Hammond and Jacob Carter. Yugi, a silent presence in the back of his mind, only spoke up long enough to inform him that Jacob was another Tok'ra.

Amemait knew Selmac very well. Although, from the glances his elder was shooting his way, Selmac wasn't certain that he was who he claimed to be.

_Such a shame_, the younger thought. There was one surefire way to convince him, though.

"So, elder brother," Amemait began, grinning at his sibling. Nevermind that the last host Selmac had been in was female, so far as he knew. Selmac was in a male now so Amemait would refer to him as such. "Whatever happened to that nest of sand vipers you were trying to raise? Or wait, that was your host, wasn't it?" he corrected. "I know you hate those things almost as much as Faizah did."

Selmac started, looking closely at him. "How do you know of that?" he demanded.

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. _Honestly?_ "I know you're not dumb, brother. It was only us and our hosts when you were bitten by a viper and your host realized that you had been right after all." Amemait leaned closer, as close to a human could get to purring as was possible. "I do hope you helped relocate them to a safer environment." He'd been sent out on his assignment shortly after that incident and never did get to see what happened.

"It really is you," Selmac breathed, shoulders slumping from relief. "Why did you stop contacting us, little sister? I spoke to the council on many occasions and they claimed not to have heard from you, not for these past three centuries."

"Little brother," Amemait corrected tolerantly. Tok'ra shifted hosts and sometimes genders very often, so it wasn't unusual for them to get confused. "And I don't know what you've been told, but I've been sending reports all these years. The council's the one that never wrote back."

"We did shift locations many times," Selmac allowed. "Perhaps that is why. We will ask the council when we return."

Their conversation was cut short by the entrance of SG-1, now dressed in the base's casual uniform. Jack and Sam saluted General Hammond, Teal'c nodded respectfully, and Daniel voiced his greeting before they all took their seats. Amemait leaned forward in his chair, no longer interested in feigning disinterest.

"All right," Hammond began, looking meaningfully at Selmac. "You've confirmed Amemait's identity, then?"

SG-1 scrutinized the two Tok'ra closely. Neither of them seemed fazed, Selmac nodding. "Yes. We agreed, before parting, that only the two of us would know the story of the sand vipers. If we ever had to prove our identities, we would ask each other of that. I am reasonably sure that Amemait is indeed who sits before us."

"I trust your judgment," Hammond said, then turned to Amemait. "Can we speak to Dr. Mutou?"

Amemait prodded the quiet presence at the back of his mind. _Hey, you there. Want to come out to play?_

Yugi seemed suspiciously hopeful. It seemed, the Tok'ra sighed, that his host didn't quite realize what being a Tok'ra meant. _You never hung out around Selmac very often, huh?_

_No,_ the boy admitted. _I only joined the SGC a few weeks ago. This mission was my first._

Amemait couldn't help his wince. _That's some luck you have there. Go share it with everyone else._ And he retreated, leaving a disoriented Yugi in control. The young man blinked, shaking his head slowly. He raised his hand, clenched it, just to make sure he could.

"Yugi?" Daniel asked cautiously, attracting the boy's attention. He jerked, looking at the archaeologist with wide eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Yugi said, voice barely a whisper. He cleared his throat, then nodded. "I just didn't believe him, when he said he'd give me control. It seemed too good to be true…"

"It's all right, son," Hammond said gently. "Please tell us what happened."

"Yes, General." Yugi closed his eyes, sorting events into order. "The mission began like it was supposed to. SG-5, including myself, went to the planet to investigate the ruins. We found a primitive tribe living there, of Aztec descent I'd guess. The language sounded similar. We accepted an invitation to join the tribe for dinner, but I think it was a trap. I passed out after eating and woke up in a holding cell. We were all taken before Yggdrasil." He couldn't look at the General. "Yggdrasil said Lieutenant Grace looked perfect for what he wished, which I guess was to be Amemait's host. Grace attacked a Jaffa and was killed."

"I guess that counts as suicide," Jack murmured.

"Yggdrasil looked angry, then pointed at me, and I was dragged to Amemait's chamber." Yugi grimaced. "Amemait sent out the guards and gave me the choice of being his host or dying. He said… that if I was willing, if I didn't fight, he'd 'reward' me." _And what did you mean by that?_ he thought to the alert presence in his head.

_If we hadn't escaped, I'd still have given you control when we wouldn't have been observed,_ Amemait answered. _It would have only been fair, right?_

Yugi shrugged. "I made him promise to help my friends, and when he agreed…" He swallowed hard.

"You don't have to say," Hammond told him. "We can guess." He looked at Jack. "What happened with your team?"

"Pretty much the same as Yugi said," Jack responded glibly. "The locals were way too nice, we didn't even notice that a few cargo ships had landed until we'd fallen into their trap. By the time we got to Yggdrasil, the rest of SG-5 was already dead. Then Ame walked in, did things I'm going to have nightmares about –"

"You should have felt it from this end," Yugi muttered.

"- And then Ame pulled as neat an assassination as I'd ever seen. It had the Jaffa stunned stupid long enough for us to dispose of them. And then we came back," Jack finished.

_Ame?_ The voice in the back of Yugi's head was amused. _How does he get from the Egyptian devourer of souls to "rain" in your language?_

Yugi couldn't help his snicker.

"Something funny about that?"Hammond asked him, bemused.

"You know that ame means rain, right?" Yugi echoed to Jack. "He's amused."

It wasn't exactly the same, Yugi reflected. Atem had had a much different presence in the back of his mind, a dark humor compared to Amemait's light amusement. And he was still scared, frightened that what the Tok'ra had promised was false. That he would end up trapped in his own mind, unable to even do so much as twitch a finger on his own. But he'd faced much worse than that and survived. He could master his fear and enjoy his freedom while he had it.

At the same time… he'd been so alone, even with all of his friends. It was nice, he admitted privately to himself. Even if the other in his head wasn't Atem, was someone he was afraid of, it was nice to not be alone.

He buried those thoughts as deeply as he could.

"It's a lot better than calling him Amemait," Jack said practically. "Too many syllables. Selmac's lucky his name's not very long or else he'd suffer the same fate."

"Thanks," Jacob said dryly, only distinguishable from Selmac by their voices.

"Is that all?" Hammond asked, only a hint of humor in his voice.

Yugi thought back over his story, then nodded. "Yes, General."

"Yeah," Jack affirmed.

"Then I want both of your written reports on this in the morning," Hammond ordered. "Yugi, you're to see Doctor Frasier, get checked over."

"There's one more question," Jacob asked, looking at Yugi. There was a brief flash of gold before Selmac spoke. "Dr. Mutou. Are you willing to remain Amemait's host?"

Now that was a question. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "Ame seems to be one of you, he gave me back control when he was asked… but I'm scared that he won't. If I give him control again, will I get it back?"

Amemait was silent in his head, listening intently.

Yugi shook his head, clasping his trembling hands on the desk in front of him. "I know you can get him out if he does that. That's the only reason I'm not panicking. But I want some time to talk to him, get to know him." _I don't want to be alone again_. "I'll give him a few days, see how we get along. I'll let you know after that." _If I can._

Selmac inclined his head. "As you wish. If Amemait is the same as the sister I once knew, he will meet your expectations."

_May I?_ Amemait asked suddenly. _I just have a question that's best coming directly from me._

Yugi trembled, but nodded. _Go ahead_. The best chance to see if Amemait was a Tok'ra of his word was sooner rather than later.

The Tok'ra took control as gently as he could, nudging Yugi out of control rather than that first initial shove. "Speaking of that," he asked lightly, shocking everyone with the suddenness of the switch. "I was wondering something, Selmac. We're siblings, right?"

Bewildered, the elder man nodded.

"And Sam's your daughter."

"My host's, yes." Now Selmac was truly puzzled.

"Does that make her my niece?"

Sam choked, Jack patting her on the back until she stopped coughing. Selmac looked scandalized, while the rest of the room was laughing. Well, as much as Teal'c could laugh.

_That's what you wanted to ask?_ Yugi asked incredulously.

_I'm sure you were thinking of it too! _Amemait defended.

_Not really._ But the linguist was amused.

"Dismissed," Hammond told them, bemused. "Dr. Mutou, don't forget to go to the infirmary."

Yugi wanted to hold his breath but, lacking control of his lungs, he knew it was impossible. He was scared, he was sure Amemait would feel it, but he wanted his body back in his control.

_Relax,_ the Tok'ra assured him, relinquishing his hold on Yugi's body. _I'll convince you I'm not a bad guy yet. _

He took his deep breath, holding it until he was sure it wouldn't rattle uncomfortably in his throat from the lingering terror before releasing it slowly. "Yes, General," he responded, standing and bowing as was the custom from his home.

* * *

"As far as I can tell, aside from your… guest, you're good to go," Doctor Janet Frasier declared, tugging off her gloves and tossing them in the general direction of the garbage can. "I think you're even better off than when you left," she added thoughtfully. "I just want you to go to the mess and get something to eat. I don't know when the last time you had a meal was but now that you have two people to support in there," and she tapped Yugi's forehead gently, "it's better safe than sorry."

"Yes, Doctor." Yugi pulled on the smallest SGC uniform someone could scrounge up for him in a moment's notice. He wasn't quite as short as he'd been in high school but he still barely broke 5'3'', which meant that he was still looking up at everyone. A few uniforms had to be special ordered in his size, which at the moment were in his on-base quarters. Faintly he wished he could keep the clothing he'd been wearing before. He'd liked how that shirt had fit, and the pants had been incredibly comfortable.

_Should we stop by your rooms first?_ Ame suggested, seeing how Yugi had to roll up the sleeves and legs of the uniform for fear of tripping over them.

By this time, after all the random comments his visitor had been making during Janet's examination, Yugi barely flinched at the words in his head. _We could_, he mused, _but I'm really hungry._

_Whatever you'd like._ And there was silence once again in his mind, although Yugi could tell that Ame was still very much alert. If the linguist had to guess, he'd say the Tok'ra was giving him as much space as was possible when two were sharing a mind.

"I'm off, then" he told Janet, who only waved to show she'd heard, presently halfway down someone's throat in search of something medical that Yugi really didn't want to know about. Sparing a thought of sympathy for the poor airman Yugi headed for the elevator and lunch. Or breakfast.

He blinked. When _had_ he eaten last?

_In that village, if I had to guess_, Ame mused. _Not sure how long you were out after that, but it was certainly a few hours. _

Dinner, then. Maybe.

_Offplanet travel plays heck with your internal clock,_ Yugi muttered. There would be a clock in the mess hall, or someone he could ask. He hoped.

He tried to ignore the guard that was subtly following him through the corridors.

_I'd do the same thing,_ he rationalized as he reached the mess and headed for the food line. Judging by the lack of people there he had come in between meals, although food was served at all times since teams came and went around the clock. _Selmac might have vouched for Ame, but I still wouldn't entirely trust us._

_They'll go away when we get to the Tok'ra council,_ Ame hoped. _Either you'll stay my host and we'll figure out where you're going, or you'll decline and go back to your normal life. Well, it won't be entirely normal, _the Tok'ra amended. _Card spirits that come to life?_

Yugi missed his deck. He'd forgone taking it to that planet on a hunch, so it was safely stored in his quarters on base. All that he'd lost were extra copies of a few of his more common cards. Even though he no longer had the Puzzle, he'd touched the Cards' realm. They would answer his call if he asked, although he had rarely needed them in the past decade.

_You've been rooting around my memories,_ he accused Ame, who felt appropriately contrite. _What else do you know about?_

_I've just been reading surface thoughts, nothing deeper_, the Tok'ra defended. _You were wanting your cards when we were facing Yggdrasil, remember?_

He did. And he also remembered how Ame had been practically glued to the System Lord's side, letting that man touch them. That was the first thing they'd agreed on, how much they loathed the being embracing them so tenderly. Yugi had been curled up on his soul-bed at the time trying to block the real world out, but Ame's disgust had turned his stomach sympathetically. He'd wished that he'd been able to call the Dark Magician to their aid, something he'd thought he'd kept private from his unwelcome company.

He shivered at the remembered touch, even though the mess was a few degrees warmer than the corridor outside. _I'm going to need counseling_, he thought grimly, suddenly aware that he'd been staring at the sandwiches for a few minutes and that the marine behind him was getting impatient. Sheepishly he grabbed two sandwiches at random, a small salad, and a random drink from the counter before escaping to an out of the way table.

He was prepared to eat in silence, his assigned guard also helping himself to a snack a few tables away. So it was a surprise when he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his neck as a shadow fell over him.

_What's that?_ he thought, surprised at the new feeling. Ame wasn't, however.

_Goa'uld and Tok'ra can feel when another is nearby because the naquadah in our bodies reacts,_ the Tok'ra explained. Yugi thought he remembered reading that in one of his reports. _Selmac's probably come to say "hi"._

_I see._ Yugi looked up, prepared to face the elderly man, only to find that it was instead Sam Carter standing over him with a tray of food in hand. His greeting was lost when he realized who it was, only a confused, "You're a Tok'ra too?" emerging in its place. He asked it without thinking and winced.

Sam gave a small smile, though it was strained around the edges. "Was. I was an unwilling host to a Tok'ra for a few days," she confessed. "Jolinar ending up dying for me."

_Jolinar's dead?_ Ame asked, surprised. _I thought she was a better infiltrator than that._

_Questions later_, Yugi chided, then winced. That was how he'd have talked to Atem… And he'd better not think that too loud.

_I'm not going to bite,_ Ame sulked. Apparently he was either ignoring Yugi's stray thoughts or hadn't picked up on them.

"So you know how this is," the linguist said, gesturing to himself with a fork laden with strips of lettuce. "Is that why you're here?"

Sam nodded. "I can still remember clearly when I was trapped in my own head. I know it's not pleasant. And if you need someone else to talk to, I can help out." She smiled, biting into her ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich.

"You make it sound like Jolinar didn't let you out," Yugi observed, which sent a chill down his spine.

The scientist shook her head. "She didn't. She apologized many times over but said that her mission was more important. She promised to give me my body back in the end." A wistful smile. "She did, too."

_Can I talk to her?_ Ame asked. _I want to ask her about Selmac._

Yugi took a bite of his sandwiches, finding it to be turkey, which he rather liked. After swallowing he sent a mental nod to Ame. _Go ahead_.

Now that he was used to it again it was just like switching with Atem, only without the magic and the weight of the Puzzle at his throat. Yugi stepped back and Ame stepped forward, the latter taking another bite of the sandwich interestedly. _What a nice flavor, I haven't seen anything like it!_

_Your question?_ Yugi prompted.

"Sam," Ame began. The woman didn't even seem fazed by the switch. "Has Selmac contacted the High Council?"

"He's on the phone with them right now," Sam answered. "Last I heard there was some yelling going on. He'll let us know what it was about afterwards. And I'm glad to see that you're both getting along so far," she added.

After Yugi explained what a phone was by showing the Tok'ra bits of memory and key points Ame nodded. "I see. I am eager to know how the High Council will react to the fact that I'm alive and well. I wasn't exactly in their good graces last time I spoke with them."

"Why not?" Sam was curious to know as she finished up her sandwich. Ame was eating much slower, savoring every bite.

"The last message I sent them that I know they received, I'd told them of my marriage to Yggdrasil. They didn't seem pleased." Ame frowned, tapping his fork in the remnants of his salad. "I told them it was for the influence I could exert as his wife. I was able to stall many attempts at finding the Tok'ra because of my position, as well as distract his attention from vulnerable worlds."

"When Dad gets done I'll make sure you know," Sam promised. "When they get like this, though, it's bound to take a while. Maybe you should get some sleep?"

"What time is it?" Ame asked, glancing at the clock and finding that he still didn't know if it was morning or evening.

Sam smirked. "It's about two in the morning. I'm surprised you're still awake, actually."

_That late?_ Yugi thought, aghast. _Or early_, he amended. _We really should sleep._

"No one's going to expect you in the morning, so sleep as late as you want." The scientist stood, gathering the remains of her late dinner and gesturing to the spot where dirty dishes were left. Ame followed suit, fighting back a yawn that was creeping up on him.

_Definitely sleep_, he agreed with his host. _Want to carry us to bed?_

They swapped again, Yugi yawning the whole trip in the elevator, not even minding that he had a silent airman-shadow. He trudged blearily to his on-base quarters, kicked off his shoes, and flopped into bed, not even wanting to spare the energy to get undressed first. But after a moment of enjoying the bliss of a comfortable mattress he rolled over, chucked his shirt somewhere towards the dirty clothes bin (he'd pick it up in the morning) and crawled under the covers.

He never remembered pulling the covers up.

* * *

He was trapped behind a glimmering green shield, Atem standing proudly on the other side, a glowing green mark emblazoned into his forehead, a cruel smirk twisting his normally serious face. Yugi banged against it as hard as he could, knowing how this duel was going to play out but unable to stop it from happening. Even when he struck it with the Puzzle the barrier remained strong, leaving the boy helpless to do anything but watch as Atem made that fatal mistake and was stolen from him forever. That's not how it should have happened, Yugi sobbed. He'd broken through and saved Atem, and gotten saved in turn…

And then he wasn't anywhere near Death Valley, someplace that had never even heard of Duel Monsters or Doma. It wasn't even his body, a woman's instead, and there was Yggdrasil hovering over him. All he could think of was _stop, I don't want this, go away!_ while all the while his body acted on its own, and he wasn't the only one who felt this way…

He snapped awake with a cry, staring at the darkened ceiling in confusion while the feel of unwanted touches lingered in places he would rather not see. He was breathing heavily as if he'd run a mile, chilled in his sweat-soaked sheets.

_Atem?_ he asked fuzzily, guessing that the other dreams had come from the spirit. It wasn't uncommon, the two of them sharing their dreams due to the fact that they shared the same body. He just hadn't expected those kinds of dreams from his other.

The presence in the back of his mind shifted, groaning blearily. _Who's Atem?_ it asked, yawning greatly.

That innocent question shocked Yugi back to the present and he remembered that Atem wasn't with him anymore. And even if Ame was beginning to seem less like a Goa'uld than the human had originally feared, that didn't leave him inclined to be forthcoming with his deepest secrets.

_No one,_ Yugi answered a bit defensively. _That must have been your dream, then_.

Ame shifted uncomfortably. _I don't want to talk about it._

Fair enough. Yugi let the question go, glancing at the clock and finding that it was only six in the morning. He groaned, knowing that he wanted to go back to sleep and fearing that he wouldn't be able to. Ame's dream hadn't faded entirely, leaving him uncomfortable alone in the bed.

_Do you want to see how I summon monsters?_ Yugi asked, deciding on a way to ensure he'd still be able to sleep. He reached over to his side table and dug around in the drawer until he came up with his deck.

That got the Tok'ra's attention. He was an alert presence in Yugi's mind while the other drew from his deck, knowing without needing to look that the card he wanted was in his hand.

Summoning monsters was both easier and harder than it sounded, Yugi had found over the years. After that disastrous encounter with Atlantis and Dartz, he, Jounouchi, and Seto had all entered the Duel Monsters' world, and thus were still linked to it even now. Calling on his monsters was only a matter of widening that link to allow the monster to enter the human realm. However, the more powerful the monster Yugi wanted to call, the more energy it took to keep the door open long enough for it to pass through. The one time Yugi had called the Dark Magician he had crashed for a week afterwards, leaving the Magician stranded until his caller had the energy to open the door again to send him home.

Yugi smiled fondly at the memory, even though the card he held wasn't the Dark Magician. He probed at the nearly-invisible link between his soul and the monster world, focusing on the monster he wanted, and slowly the door opened.

"Puriri?" the brown ball of fluff purred, bouncing on Yugi's chest happily. The duelist patted Kuriboh contentedly, even the small amount of energy it had taken to summon the monster draining in his already exhausted state.

"Hi," he greeted wearily. "Sorry to bother you."

The fluffball shook its body negatively.

"I had a bad week," Yugi told it. "Nightmares. Would you mind staying with me?"

_It's a purring ball of fluff_, Ame thought, too caught up in the fact that it was adorable to wonder how his new host had this kind of ability. Though he was definitely curious, Yugi could tell. But for now the Tok'ra didn't ask questions, instead appreciating the gift for what it was.

Kuriboh didn't hesitate to crawl under the covers, a warm furry body to ward off the night's chill. Yugi pressed his face into it, finally able to relax into sleep. The last thing he was aware of was Ame mentally cooing at the fluff ball, also relieved to not be alone.

* * *

Yugi awoke the next morning at noon when someone knocked loudly on his door. It wasn't the most startling way to wake up but it did the trick, the linguist opening his eyes blearily and glaring at the person trying to deprive him of his much-needed sleep. Sam Carter didn't seem fazed in the least by the sleepy heat in purple eyes, much more interested in the brown ball of fluff the other was cradling instead.

"I never thought you'd have a plushie obsession," she noted, hiding her amusement with practiced ease. Yugi glanced down at wide green eyes, having to take a moment to remember when he'd summoned Kuriboh in the night. Once that came back to him so did the dreams and he couldn't help his wince.

"I only drag them out when I need them," Yugi half-lied, sliding out of bed and praying that Kuriboh would stay there until he could send the little ball of fluff home. It seemed to work, the only sign that the brown furball was alive that of his side rising. It was a small motion, since the tiny body didn't require much oxygen, and hopefully it would go unnoticed by the Major in his doorway. Turning to scoop up his discarded shirt from the night before he glanced at the clock, surprised at how late he'd slept. "Is there a reason you woke me up?"

Sam smiled. "Selmac couldn't wait any longer. He wants to be gone by 1500 to the Tok'ra base, and if you want to go with him, that's how long you have."

Yugi nodded, noting the pile of laundry he had as he dropped the shirt on it. He'd have to take that to the base laundry, then, before he went. "Tell him I'll be there."

Ame nodded agreement, the Tok'ra finally coherent enough to participate in the conversation. Apparently, Yugi thought privately to himself, his new guest wasn't a morning person. _I'm eager to give my report to the Council and get back to relatively normal missions, _Ame commented, then shuddered. _Then again, I might ask for a long vacation after that assignment!_

Thinking back to the dream, Yugi wholeheartedly agreed. That also had him thinking about something else that hadn't occurred to him. If he agreed to stay as Ame's host, then it was likely that he'd be much like Jacob was, hardly in contact with Earth and only then when it was convenient for the Tok'ra. That meant that if he did agree, he'd be leaving everyone behind. He wasn't sure if his grandfather could deal with never seeing him again, not to mention the heads that would roll if Kaiba got the news that his favorite opponent wasn't going to be around anymore. He would have to think about that as well, not just about how well he got along with Ame.

"I'll leave you to get ready, then. SG-1's going with him to get the usual news." She snorted. "Which will probably boil down to, 'We haven't found anything that might be useful to such an inferior race, but thanks for sending us hosts, we really appreciate it.'"

On that note she left, leaving two bemused souls behind.

_It looks like my people really haven't been helping you all,_ Ame noted.

Yugi shrugged. "I've read the mission reports. They do help out when it's convenient for them as well." Making sure that Sam was really gone, he walked over to his bed and touched Kuriboh gently, amused to find that the Duel Monster was already asleep again. He decided to leave the slumbering creature be, grabbing a new uniform and his bath set and heading for the showers.

A half an hour later he was freshly dressed in clothes that actually fit, feeling much better than the night before. It was amazing how a shower and clean clothes could wash away that kind of pain, Yugi thought contentedly as he headed back to his room to check on Kuriboh. This time the fluff was awake, bouncing on Yugi's bed to pass the time. When Yugi opened the door he found himself with a face full of furball and smiled.

"Hey there," he told it, tickling under its eyes where he thought the chin might be. "Ready to go home?"

"Puri!" it beamed, bouncing in Yugi's arms excitedly.

Yugi sent it back without too much trouble, just opened the gate again and let the monster through it. Ame was an interested spectator, although he was quiet in the back of Yugi's mind. This didn't bother the linguist much as he headed for his hairbrush, his tangled mane definitely needing to be wrestled back into shape.

For a moment he stared at his reflection in the mirror, comparing it to how he'd been the last time he'd shared his soul with another. This time around his hair was shorter, cropped so that it at most ended three inches from the top of his head, though it still tried to form the star shape that no one else could believe was how his hair was naturally. Lacking the sufficient length to do that, it settled for sticking up in random clumps instead. He'd still crowned the black strands with red, though, even as he'd let the blonde grow out of his bangs. This framed his unusual purple eyes with black, drawing out their color in a way that had had him fending off women for years. Hair aside, Yugi's face was different as well. He'd lost the chubby cheeks, the last of his baby fat disappearing after he'd gained his master's degree in languages and went shooting for his doctorate. His body was leaner as well, more fit after he'd taken the job at the SGC. They'd put him under a training regimen meant to make him able to keep up with the least-fit airmen in the base, making him less of a liability in the field.

Overall, Yugi mused, finally bringing the brush to his head and raking it through his hair vigorously, he still looked the same, only older. He no longer had that same air of innocence he'd once held, which was probably a blessing. He wasn't the same naïve kid, either.

_I think I would have liked you better with long hair,_ Ame mused, poking the mental image. _It was fetching, even if I can't fathom how it grows naturally into that shape._

_Stiff roots is in the genes, if what Grandpa says is right,_ Yugi relayed, finally satisfied with his hair. It wasn't so randomly spiky thanks to his efforts, even if it did stand on end. _When it gets longer is when it starts to droop, and then it's heavy._ Which was why he'd cut it in the first place.

Ame pouted. It was a bit much, Yugi thought, having a pouting Tok'ra when the race was supposed to be oh-so-much more evolved than the humans they occupied. Maybe Ame returning to them would be a blessing, if only to get them to lighten up.

Daily maintenance done, he lugged his clothes to the laundry service, then went off to find some breakfast. Or rather, Yugi glanced at the mess' clock as he walked in, lunch.

_Can I choose this time?_ Ame asked eagerly, eyeing the mass of food being offered. Yugi rolled his eyes but gave his assent, settling back to watch the spectacle and hoping no one would mind a bit of strangeness on his part.

Although, given that he still had an airman-shadow, chances were that his status wasn't a secret.

Ame studied the foods thoughtfully, Yugi obligingly allowing the other access to his memory so he could make an informed decision. The linguist was hesitant about it at first, but Ame didn't take this newfound liberty and run with it. The first wall Yugi threw up was acknowledged, the Tok'ra not even attempting to pass it even though he very well could have if he tried. Eventually Ame decided on the stew with some rice, as well as a bread roll to go with it, and with his finds he headed for the nearest table.

The Tok'ra enjoyed the odd food, munching happily as he observed the humans going about their day. After being around nothing but Goa'uld and Jaffa for a few hundred years he was glad of the chance to just sit and observe, liking that he didn't have to put on an act. Although he had been Lady Amemait for so long that he had to consciously tell himself he didn't have to act that way anymore. He didn't try to hide this from Yugi, either – perhaps a bit of trust from his end would help his host get used to him.

That was also, he reflected, why he hadn't asked Yugi about the monster he'd summoned the night before. It was obviously something he'd kept secret, since Sam hadn't known what it was when she'd walked in, and Ame wasn't about to betray that secret. Doing so would probably end in him losing a host, and finding a new one was always so annoyingly hard. Thus he'd keep his host's secrets like his own and, if Yugi chose not to keep him after all… well, he'd figure out what to do then.

Food finished he took care of his plates, glancing at the clock. It was well after 1300 so he decided that perhaps it was time to get ready to go. _Want to take care of that part?_ he asked Yugi, a little disturbed by his silence. He'd never had a host with such little presence before, as if he'd retreated so deeply into his mind that he'd become comatose.

Receiving no answer, Ame frowned, mentally prodding the human. _Yugi? You in there?_

_Sorry,_ Yugi apologized, resurfacing from wherever he'd hidden. _You were thinking and I didn't want to pry._

_I wasn't trying to hide my thoughts from you,_ Ame sighed, heading for the elevator. _I meant for you to know them, so you'd know you can trust me._

_Ah._ Yugi seemed a bit sheepish. _Sorry, I had some thinking of my own to do._ Ame retreated, leaving him to push the proper button and send the elevator careening towards the locker rooms. _Mostly about what would happen if I did stay as your host._

Not outright rejection, then. That was a positive sign. _It's likely that you'd be asked to stay with the Tok'ra, meaning you'd leave whatever life you had here,_ Ame noted. _It was the same with the rest of my hosts as well. They all had siblings, parents, lovers, that they left behind in order to rid the galaxy of the Goa'uld. _

Yugi winced, heading for the locker rooms. _I'm not so sure I could deal with that. Grandpa wouldn't be able to deal with it, either. If I vanish without him knowing, it might kill him._ Not immediately, of course, but his Grandpa would work himself into a frenzy trying to track him down and then fade away. Not to mention what Kaiba would do with his hacking prowess if he should drop off the map. He still hadn't tried to summon even his Blue Eyes, but given the right motivation? Jounouchi certainly wouldn't think twice before setting his Red Eyes on the mountain if he ever found out where Yugi went.

Ame was amused at Yugi's mental image of a raging dragon. _The choice is yours, _he said seriously. _Whatever path you take I won't begrudge you._

Finishing his preparations, Yugi went to find Selmac to see what he was up against. Against his better judgement he was bringing his proper deck, although he had multiples of each of the cards he held. The Egyptian Gods were safely stored with his spare cards, however. He wouldn't trust that sort of power without a dire need.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad this fic is getting such a positive response from everyone who liked SSR, and the best part is, I'm already finished with this one. No worries, you will get to see how this one ends!

I don't own anything related to Stargate or Yu-Gi-Oh. The only things that are mine are Amemait and Yggdrasil, although I'm not sure I want to claim the latter. Anything else is the property of their respective creators, and I'm only doing this because I like to mess with people.

Warning: torture ahead.

* * *

"That's enough for tonight," a cold voice declared from the doorway. Half-naked, strapped to a table, head ringing with a by-now familiar headache, Yugi couldn't help his sob of relief. In the back of his head Ame was nearly incoherent, the result of having repeatedly having to relive the worst parts of his life. Only a few short minutes ago it had been the Tok'ra's memories showing on a screen mounted above his head, his sanity preserved only by Yugi's fierce determination to endure the punishment as well.

Shivering in the deliberately cold air Yugi could barely move as his limbs were released from their restraints, rough hands dragging him upright and forcing him forward. He stumbled, weak and sick to his stomach but barely managing not to faceplant into the rough stone corridor. He was determined not to show that kind of weakness, even if the room was spinning around him.

He was grateful when he reached his makeshift cell, his captors leaving him alone with barely a blanket on the cold floor to claim. Once he was sure he was alone he wrapped the thin material around his bare shoulders, huddling into a ball and suppressing the tears that wanted to break out. But he was better off than Ame, at least. He hadn't been betrayed by his own people and condemned for only trying to help them.

He didn't know how long it'd been since he'd ended up like this. The last time things had been normal was when he'd last been at the SGC, waiting to return with Jacob and Selmac. He'd been separated from them and SG-1 upon his arrival, told that Ame was needed to account for his whereabouts for the past couple of centuries. He hadn't seen any of them since, wasn't even sure that they knew what had happened to him.

It had to have been weeks, certainly. His pants, the only piece of clothing he'd retained, were large on him, threatening to slip from his hips whenever he was upright, and that kind of weight loss, he knew, took time. Even if it was helped along by the mere one meal he received per day, and he wasn't even sure if was every day. The Tok'ra tunnels were consistently lit around the clock, not to mention that they operated on a slightly longer day than Earth.

It was also kind of hard to keep track of little things like time when one's mind was being plundered every day. It was mostly Ame's, Yugi admitted, but when things got particularly bad they couldn't tell whose memories were whose sometimes. He was just glad the Tok'ra weren't so interested in him, so his most precious secrets were intact. Ame, on the other hand, was a mess after every session, relying on Yugi's strength to keep him from sliding into total madness.

Even now, huddled into his blanket and waiting for the meal that only might be coming, the linguist was focused inwards, mind wrapped around Ame's with a fierce strength he'd learned from Atem. He conjured up his warmest memories for the other, trying to draw him away for the centuries of pain and current betrayal with better times. He had no secrets from him, not after all they'd been through, and so it was his and Atem's best moments that he showed this time. There were quite a few, he realized after a moment, a smile threatening despite all that was going on. When they hadn't been in mortal danger, he and the Pharaoh had had many happy moments with each other.

Time being what it was, Yugi didn't know how long it was before his shaken partner responded, gratitude wrapping him in a buoyant blanket of warmth. _We can't hang on like this much longer_, Ame whispered.

_I know_, Yugi replied, feeling in his pants pocket for the one thing he'd been allowed to keep. He didn't know if he'd still be able to call anything, but if he waited any longer he knew he wouldn't be able to. Not to mention that he didn't have a clue of what he'd do once he'd broken free of this room. He leaned back against the wall, thoughts mingling with Ame's as they discussed and discarded various ways to get out and back to Earth with nothing but a ticked off monster and brute force.

Footsteps alerted them to another presence on their way, the prickle of naquadah by now such a constant that they couldn't rely on that to figure out when someone was nearby. Yugi looked up wearily, hoping that this person was bringing something to eat.

The young woman didn't even glance at him, setting the bowl full of the usual lukewarm broth and hard bread at his feet. She left without a word, and once Yugi was sure she was gone he didn't quite dive for the food. He ate slowly despite the gnawing hunger at his core, savoring every slurp of nearly tasteless soup and the crunch of hard bread, softened from inedible rock by the soup he dipped it in. They were the most important tools at the moment, that and a good night's sleep. For right now he and Ame were both decided on one thing.

They weren't going to die there.

With that in mind they curled up in a corner, blanket wrapped around themselves to hold what warmth they could, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

They didn't know how long they'd been asleep but far too soon they were awakened by a loud thump outside their room. Ame glared at the doorway, where the shadow of their guard could be seen and who was probably the culprit behind their awakening. Despite their short period of rest they felt a lot better than before and, frankly, they were fed up with being treated like animals.

_Ready?_ Ame asked his host.

Yugi nodded grimly, and the two switched. With steady hands he drew his deck from his pocket, contemplating whether he should trust chance with his freedom or search for what he thought would work. After a moment, his fingers touching the top card, he decided, turning the innocent-looking piece of stiff paper upwards. Once he saw which he held he smiled.

There weren't any flashy lights or ominous music. One minute Yugi was alone in the room, and the next the Dark Magician faded into existence. The effort of calling the Magician was taxing, especially in his weakened state, but Ame's strength bolstered his own, and soon the Duel Monster was standing before him.

The Magician took one look and was on his knees in an instant, only silenced by Yugi's gesture. "I'll explain later," the human explained in a near-soundless whisper. "For now we have to get out of here." He stood, blanket wrapped firmly around his shoulders, and gestured at the door. "There's one person out there," he continued, voice still very quiet. Hopefully the guard wouldn't hear him. "There's also a lot of people further in. And I might start acting strange, but I promise I'm still me," he added, remembering his current partner. Ame was the one who knew his way around Tok'ra tunnels so he'd be doing most of the guiding, and the best way for that was from the driver's seat.

The Magician nodded, standing and striding towards the doorway. There was a thud before the Duel Monster poked his head back into the room. "The hallway is clear."

Yugi nodded, stumbling forward. Between the abuse and the summoning he felt ready to keel over any moment but he knew that once he did that it was over. That knowledge was what kept him moving.

_Let me take over,_ Ame urged. _I can handle fatigue better and I know where we're going._

Too tired to argue the point Yugi assented. Ame, rather than keep his hands occupied with the blanket, tied it around his neck, covering his shoulders but leaving his chest and arms bare. That done he helped himself to the guard's weapon, tucking the zat into his waistband.

"We need to continue down this hallway until we reach an intersection," the Tok'ra instructed plainly, gesturing for the monster to precede him. "Once there we need to take a left."

The Magician shot an unreadable look at him. "You are not Yugi," he stated. "And you are not the Pharaoh."

"Questions later," he cautioned. "First we have to get out of here."

The Magician conceded the point and led the way, following Ame's instructions. It was fortunate that they didn't run into anyone, though that didn't surprise them that much. They'd been kept in the least-used part of the base for that very reason. The Council had wanted to keep the "traitor" a secret from the rest of their people, though Ame expected that they wanted to keep Earth from knowing about them as well. Their captors hadn't even offered Yugi a chance to leave, after all, like they would have expected. Instead host and symbiote had been considered traitors both, both condemned to cruel interrogations without concern for the fact that Yugi was an innocent.

It wasn't until they reached the tunnel closest to where Ame remembered Selmac's rooms usually were that they ran into someone. The Magician reacted before the stunned woman from the previous night could blink, his staff knocking her into blissful oblivion. Jacob poked his head out of his room to investigate the noise and blinked.

"Yugi?" he asked incredulously, only a quick word from Ame sparing the elder from the same fate. "What's going on? I thought you guys were out on assignment!" He stared at the man in purple armor beside him, staff at the ready in case Jacob turned out to be a threat. "And who the heck is that?"

"So that's the lie they've been spreading," Ame mused. "Sorry to say, elder brother, but we haven't been offplanet since we came back. I'll explain everything later but right now we really need to get back to Earth. I'm running on empty as it is, to borrow a human phrase, and every minute we waste is another minute closer to us not escaping at all. Please help us." He glanced around the corridor warily. "They'll figure out we're gone any minute!"

Jacob nodded without a moment's thought. "I can get you guys to the surface and through the Stargate. I'll take point." He took the zat from Ame and started down the hall. When the younger Tok'ra made to follow he wobbled dangerously, his energy levels very near zero.

"Allow me," the Magician said, a hand on his arm to steady him. When Ame looked up the monster turned his back and knelt slightly, inviting him to climb on.

Like this they were nearing the ring transporters when the first alarm sounded. Ame picked his head up from the Magician's shoulder, listening intently.

"Intruder alert?" he identified the noise. "I guess they didn't want everyone to know they had a 'traitor' in the basement."

"I really want to know the story behind that," Jacob said grimly, rounding the corner and firing several shots at the guards that had started showing up around the ring transporter. "But first let's get to Earth." The Magician followed him, his staff sending out dark bolts that had the rest of the guards crumpling to the ground. Jacob motioned the Duel Monster into the rings, then jabbed the controls and stepped in just in time.

They surprised the guards on the surface, Jacob dispatching the two men easily before motioning the Magician to follow him. The Gate was a good few minutes away at a quick pace, so it wasn't long before the giant ring came into view. Jacob surprised the guards and had them down within seconds, tossing the GDO from one of them to Ame while he dialed Earth.

"What's the code?" Ame asked, barely catching the slim device one-handed. Jacob rattled it off as the wormhole stabilized, the younger Tok'ra punching it in awkwardly while trying not to fall off or cause the Magician to trip. They waited a moment for the SGC to receive the code, all the while listening for the inevitable sounds of pursuit.

"It should be okay now. Go!" Jacob urged, twisting away from the Stargate with his zat trained on the path leading to their position. "I'll be right behind you, I just want to make sure you guys get through first."

"Thanks, elder brother," Ame said genuinely. Turning his attention to the Magician he said, "Let's go!"

The Dark Magician didn't hesitate to leap through the shimmering pool of vertical water. They landed on the metal platform in the SGC, Ame tumbling off the Magician's back when the other stumbled on the unfamiliar flooring. He managed to land on a knee, scraping his palms when he prevented himself from faceplanting, and scramble away from the active Stargate. He was vaguely aware of frantic activity at the bottom of the ramp but he didn't care. He was too glad to be away from those people that he'd thought were his people, although he wasn't too sure about the reception he'd receive on Earth. At least he could trust the Dark Magician to protect him, since he was in Yugi's body and the Magician wouldn't dare hurt him.

And that was something a Goa'uld would think. He really needed some sleep, food, and good round of happy music.

"Dr. Mutou!" Hammond's voice interrupted his inner monologue, even as Jacob tumbled through the Stargate an instant before it closed. "What the hell is going on here?"

"My people crossed the line, General." Selmac now, striding over to help Ame up while motioning to the airmen ringing the platform. "They told us that they'd debriefed Amemait and then sent them on a mission when in reality they were holding them on base."

"Not just holding," Ame said wearily, leaning on the elder as the adrenaline faded from his system, leaving him wanting to just crash right there. "We were interrogated. Well, I was," he amended. "Yugi helped when things got bad."

"Let's get them to the infirmary," Hammond ordered. "We'll get the report from there."

* * *

Janet finished checking Yugi's vitals, writing something on his chart before turning to General Hammond and SG-1, who had wandered in upon hearing that Jacob and Yugi had actually escaped from the Tok'ra. "At first glance he's malnourished and suffering from extreme fatigue. I extracted the memory device from his temple, but aside from that there weren't any overt wounds. All he needs is a lot of rest and plenty to eat and he'll be all right in a week or so."

"Why the heck were they interrogating him in the first place?" Jack demanded, carefully not staring at the man in purple armor who'd taken up guard next to Yugi's bed. "I thought they were on the same side!"

A snort from the bed drew everyone's attention. Yugi sat up, holding a hand to his head where the memory device had resided for who knew how long. "They called me a traitor," he spat, glaring at no one in particular. Ame speaking, everyone realized, even if he wasn't using that odd echoing voice most other symbiotes used. "After I married Yggdrasil, condemning myself to his whims and being raped by him more nights than not," and here he shuddered, rubbing his arms as if to ward off a chill, "they called me a traitor. Even though I went through all of that crap for them so Yggdrasil wouldn't look too closely into our movements in his systems, they decided that I wasn't a Tok'ra anymore. They didn't even give Yugi a chance to come back!" He closed his eyes, sinking into the pillow beneath him.

"I see. How did you escape?" Hammond asked gently.

"Yugi has a couple of tricks up his sleeve," Ame replied, not opening his eyes. A pause, then he spoke again. "When I was in high school I stumbled across some Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Not to go into any details, but I ended up with the ability to call monsters from another dimension." Yugi waved at the Dark Magician for emphasis. "They left me with my cards so I called the Dark Magician, then we ran into Jacob, then we made it out." He yawned, burrowing into the pillow. "I'll send the Dark Magician back when I can. Right now I just want to sleep."

"Go ahead. If the Tok'ra call we'll tell them something." Hammond patted Yugi's shoulder gently. "For now just rest." He glanced at the Dark Magician, the man not even twitching under his gaze. "Are you going to need anything?"

"I would like a meal," the Magician said shortly. "Anything is fine. I will remain by Lord Yugi until he awakens."

* * *

Once he was asleep Yugi stayed that way for several days, his guard rarely leaving his side. The Tok'ra called demanding that their prisoner be returned, claiming that he was a threat to their security, but Hammond told them quite clearly that Yugi and Ame were SGC personnel and repeated attempts to reclaim them would result in the loss of Earth as an ally. That shut them up pretty quickly, not even protesting when Selmac, in a rare fit of anger, told them exactly where they could shove their memory devices and that he'd rather work with moral, if infantile, allies towards defeating the Goa'uld.

Thus by the time Yugi awoke things had settled down, even if they weren't all resolved. He opened his eyes on an unfamiliar ceiling and almost panicked, thinking he was back at the Tok'ra base, until a purple-gloved hand settled on his shoulder with a reassuring weight.

"Dark Magician," he sighed, wincing at how his voice scraped his throat uncomfortably on the way out. "How long was I asleep?"

"Four days," the Magician replied calmly. "Dr. Frasier said that if you had not escaped when you did you might not have survived. Why did you wait so long to call for aid?"

Yugi rubbed his face with the hand not tied down with all kinds of medical equipment, taking note of the thin limb and making a face. "I was hoping they'd realize that we were the good guys, and Ame was hoping after they got their information they'd let us go. Obviously it didn't happen."

"Lord Atem would not have waited," the Magician noted, bringing a bittersweet smile to the younger's face.

"I know," he said softly, wondering what the Pharaoh would have thought of him if he saw him now.

"I will summon Dr. Frasier," the Magician decided. "Please do not attempt to get up. They claimed you were getting nutrients from one of those liquids but you still have not eaten for several days. I do not want to have to pick you up from the floor again."

Yugi nodded his assent, watching his trusted friend leave in search of Janet. While he waited for him to return he looked around, the sight of the SGC infirmary a comforting one. He could see that only a few other beds were occupied and none had as many wires hooked up to them as he did. Glancing at the source of the jumbles of tubes stuck in his arms he saw many IV bags, none of which he knew enough about to recognize.

_It was a close call_, he thought to the silent presence in his head. Ame stirred, mentally groaning as he took stock of the sorry state their body was in. They were still incredibly weak, although the crushing fatigue had faded, and they would still be bedridden for several more days.

_It was,_ the Tok'ra agreed solemnly. _I wouldn't have thought my own people could do this to us._

Yugi wrapped comforting warmth around his depressed partner. _We're alive_, he assured. _And if they try to take us back… I've never tried to go to the Duel Monsters' world before, but it would be as good a time as any to try._

Ame sighed, leaning into the mental embrace. _Thank you,_ he whispered. _But I don't want to put you through that again. When I see Selmac I'll see about finding another host._

Yugi was shocked into silence by that, not even minding that Janet had come in and was asking him questions. He ignored her, tears stinging fiercely in his eyes, trying not to show them to the world outside. This was a private hurt.

_If I wanted you gone I'd have asked them to take you out!_ the human practically snarled. If he had been anyone else he'd be mentally yelling. _I didn't go through all this to keep you safe, learn to call you a friend and a trusted partner, only to have to you decide to bail on me. You're not Atem, I got over that long ago, and I. Don't. Care._ He had to stop, take a minute to organize his thoughts. _After what we've been through, I don't want to be alone in my head again._ It was selfish, he knew. _Your nightmares are mine now, just as mine are yours. I can't deal with that kind of pain alone. Would you ask that of me?_ He couldn't imagine dealing with the centuries of pain he'd inherited without that other presence to show him the light side of things.

Ame was silent for a good few minutes. Yugi gave him that time to think, retuning his attention to the outside world and an incredibly concerned Doctor and Dark Magician. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Ame was being an idiot, so I had to talk some sense into him."

"Try to let someone know next time, okay?" Janet requested, though by the smile in her eyes he could tell she wasn't mad. Instead she snapped out a penlight and directed Yugi to look straight ahead, shining the light into each eye. "How long were you being interrogated?" she asked gently, pocketing the penlight and feeling for his pulse next, despite the machine bleeping next to them.

Yugi shook his head. "After the first few days we lost track. They would keep us in a room when they weren't grilling us for information, but I think they grabbed us once a day and kept us for several hours."

"And how often did they feed you?" Janet asked, now visibly concerned.

"Once a day. Although sometimes they missed a day, I think. It wasn't really much food, either, just some alien equivalent of chicken broth and some bread." Yugi wouldn't be able to eat chicken soup again thanks to them.

Janet nodded. "That sounds about right. You nearly starved to death. For now just rest and get your strength back. I'll send someone up with something for you to eat."

Yugi nodded, settling back with a sigh. He glanced at the Dark Magician, who had once again taken a seat next to his bed. "I can't send you back yet," he said regretfully.

"I will stand guard as long as I am required," the monster replied neutrally. "The Black Magician Girl would not forgive me for anything less."

He smiled, then closed his eyes, turning his attention back to the other in his head. _Ame?_ he asked carefully.

Regretful happiness touched him, a feather's tickle against his mind. _Thank you_, the Tok'ra whispered. _I had thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I'm glad I was wrong._

Yugi mentally hugged him, holding the other in a fiercely protective embrace. _If anyone wants to tear us apart they'll have to go through me first,_ he said determinedly. _And if they try to take us from the SGC… well, Kaiba probably has places we can hide._

_And I know of several worlds where we could easily blend in,_ Ame said in a practical tone of "voice". He returned the mental embrace, ancient pain mingling with younger hope. _Thank you. It is nice to be wanted somewhere.

* * *

_

It was another week before Janet declared that Yugi was well enough to get out of bed. Between sleeping most of the time and being force-fed enough food to feed his entire family the linguist was already putting back on some of the weight he'd lost. He had been ready to get up and move around well before Janet gave him the okay but the Dark Magician and the healer herself had promised him dire consequences if he put so much as a toe on the ground.

Nearly going mad from boredom, he was relieved when Selmac came to visit, if only to talk to Ame. The two former Tok'ra discussed what they would do now that they'd cut ties from their people. After many days of discussion they'd decided that sticking with the SGC for now was their best bet. That kept them from any potential harm, since the Tok'ra were more interested in keeping peace with their allies than with trying to get at a few traitors. Jacob was just glad to be able to spend more time with his daughter.

Seeing Jacob and Sam sitting in the mess hall when he entered, Yugi couldn't help but feel envious. He'd since learned that the Tok'ra had had him for more than three months and he was worried about his grandfather. Who knew how his grandfather had taken his disappearance? Plus it was more than that. He wanted to go home, get away from aliens and invading parasites, if only for a week.

_I wouldn't mind the break, either_, Ame admitted. _We're still a long way from going back out in the field._

_I'll ask the General, then_, Yugi sighed. He made for the food line, the Dark Magician on his heels, and picked out some food at random.

"Hey Yugi!" Jacob greeted, waving him over to sit with him and Sam. "Glad to see you up and around!"

"Doctor Frasier finally let me go," Yugi smiled, taking his seat. "I'm not back on duty yet, though. She says I have to stay off of active duty for another two weeks, just to make sure my body has a chance to fully recover." Taking a few bites and enjoying every one he sighed. "I'm curious, though. How have things been going on the interplanetary front? I haven't heard any news about any Goa'uld."

Jacob shook his head. "There have been a few rumors that Yggdrasil's forces are moving, but the Tok'ra weren't able to get a spy into their ranks. So all we know is that he might still be alive, and he's gathering his forces."

Ame scowled, his fury starting Yugi's heart to beating rapidly. The human had to take a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. "Ame's pretty sure he killed Yggdrasil," he commented, trying to ignore the fear stirring in the base of his spine.

Jacob shrugged. "One of his minor Goa'uld might have taken over his forces. Since I helped you escape I'm also a traitor, and to be honest, I'm glad to be done with them. Selmac's glad to actually be able to help Earth now. But that also means that we're cut off from that line of information."

Ame stepped forward, the two of them by now so used to trading minds they didn't even have to discuss it. "Yggdrasil had a sarcophagus," he said grimly, fists clenching. He didn't seem to notice that he'd also maimed his utensils as well. "I didn't think about making sure that he couldn't come back. His Jaffa could have easily revived him." And just the knowledge that the Goa'uld was still alive, still out there, was enough to make him lose what appetite he'd gained.

"He can't attack Earth," Sam assured him. "We're under the Protected Planet's Treaty, so anyone who comes within shooting distance is going to have to deal with the Asgard."

"It's just a bluff, though," Ame said bitterly. "And Yggdrasil's crazy enough to try it, if he thinks he can get me back."

_Eat,_ Yugi prompted him, not ready to land back in bed. Ame set the mangled utensils aside and accepted the new set that the Dark Magician had gone to get for him, taking a bite of food he couldn't really taste.

That killed any happiness that the three of them might have had. "You really think that Yggdrasil would risk duking it out with the Asgard when you're the one who killed him?" Sam asked seriously.

"I don't know what's going on in his head," Ame sighed. "But I do know how he thinks, after three hundred years. He was in love with me, or at least, the Lady Amemait. He'll be rationalizing my actions even now, and if he thinks he has a shot at getting me back…"

_Over my dead body,_ Yugi vowed grimly.

"I'll bring your concerns to the General," Sam sighed. "Until then, have you thought about what you'll be doing with your down time?"

They switched again, Yugi nodded in answer to Sam's question. "Since I can't go back on duty for another two weeks, I was hoping to go home. Grandpa's probably wondering where I went off to, and I wouldn't mind getting away from this kind of crazy for a while."

Sam shot a glance at the Dark Magician, standing guard behind Yugi. "You never did go into any detail. How _did_ you get the ability to call creatures from another realm?"

Yugi smiled. "Have Doctor Jackson look up the Millennium Items. Needless to say, after coming into contact with them, I'm glad the only side effect was contact with the Duel Monsters' world." He grinned at the Dark Magician. "Speaking of which, I should be able to send you back now. Are you ready to go?"

"Only if you are certain," the Magician answered stoically. "And if this Yggdrasil person shows up again, do not hesitate to call me."

"I will," Yugi assured him. Ignoring the stares of everyone else in the room he touched the dormant link deep within his soul, then the Dark Magician. The Duel Monster simply faded from existence as if he'd never been, leaving everyone shocked with disbelief. Yugi took a sip from his water, his hard-won strength sorely taxed by the effort but otherwise unconcerned.

"That was cool," Sam said after a moment. "Next time you do that I want to be able to take all sorts of readings. There has to be a logical explanation to that!"

Yugi shrugged. "If there is a next time. I try not to bother them too much, only when I really need them."

"Uh-huh. Well, if you think about it, let me know." Sam was grinning like a kid with a whole candy store to herself and Yugi was tempted to take off in the other direction.

Ame snickered. _I think she has a new fixation. We'd better get out fast!_

_I'm with you,_ Yugi agreed.

* * *

Not two days later Yugi was stepping off of an airplane, taking a deep breath and releasing it happily. Around him people were conversing idly, the sound of Japanese after so much time around other languages more comforting than the knowledge that he was home. After basking in the sound of it he was pushed aside by others also eager to be off of a crowded airplane. He couldn't be angry at them, though. That plane ride had been trying his patience.

He was just lucky that no one recognized him from his days as a master duelist. He'd been able to spend his time in relative peace, eagerly conversing with Ame about what they were going to do with their week off. They were going to stay at Yugi's grandfather's, if they didn't kill the man from shock at their sudden reappearance, and from there Yugi was thinking about tracking down his friends.

Making his way towards the customs line to show his passport, Yugi considered his options. Last he'd heard Anzu was still in New York, having gotten a role in a major Broadway musical, so there wasn't any chance of seeing her in Domino. If he wasn't mistaken, though, Jounouchi was still in town, working with a construction company that was under contract to Kaiba Corporation. The blonde still participated in tournaments, if what Yugi had heard was right, but far less often than ten years past. As for Kaiba… well, the other would never admit that they were friends. But a duel between them, with nothing less than their own pride as a duelist at stake? He thought that perhaps Kaiba would accept that.

Now safely past customs Yugi looked around, wondering how he should get to Domino. He could probably take the train just like old times, he could call a taxi, or he could rent a car and drive. He went to claim his luggage while he debated, discussing the pros and cons with Ame while he waited for the moving rail to bring his single suitcase to him, his carryon flung over his back.

Once he'd claimed his bag he decided to take a cab, since he didn't want to risk his luggage on the train but didn't feel like navigating the busy streets with a hyperactive symbiote bouncing in his head.

_You sure you don't want to call ahead?_ Ame asked him as they watched the buildings go by, familiar to one but not the other.

Yugi grinned, shuffling his deck to keep his hands busy. _Jounouchi already knows we're coming, he said he'd take a few days off for us. Kaiba'll drop whatever he's doing if I offer him a duel. And I do want to surprise Grandpa. Jounouchi might have warned him, though._

Ame snickered. _That would ruin the surprise, huh?_

They sat in silence the rest of the way, Yugi contemplating Jack's warning before he'd been permitted to depart. "You're a full member of the SGC, so you're free to come and go as you please," the Colonel had warned. "But don't forget that this is a top-secret facility. Which means that your little friend? He's also classified. If we find out that you told anyone, you don't want to know the kind of trouble you'll be in. So go home, see your family, and if Ame makes any trouble, be sure to cover for him. We'll bail you out of the nuthouse if we have to. Just make sure no one knows about aliens, or the Stargate."

It was considerate of him, Yugi reflected. The leader of the vaunted SG-1 was protective of his people, sure, but Yugi had been in Stargate Command for mere months. For such an important person to be worrying about him…

_He was probably worrying about the safety of the mountain,_ Ame noted. _But it was still nice of him._

The taxi pulled up in front of the Kame Game Shop just then, so Yugi set those worries aside and focused on more mundane tasks like paying the driver and retrieving his luggage. That done he stood in front of the shop, wondering how he was going to do this. Should he go in through the store or through the back, he debated.

_He's probably going to be in the store_, Ame noted. _And he wouldn't expect that, right?_

_Right_, Yugi agreed. Decided, he picked up his suitcase and strolled in, casually glancing at a few of the new games on display. There were a few packs of the newer Duel Monsters cards left, too, and Yugi's fingers twitched, wishing he could get his hands on one. In the last few years, though, the quality of the cards had gone down significantly. He was satisfied with his tried and true strategy.

"Welcome!" a familiar voice said, lifting Yugi's spirits even more than he would have thought. He turned towards its source, seeing an elderly man come from the back of the store, and grinned.

"I'm home," he greeted the elderly man, who promptly dropped his handful of Duel Monsters cards in shock.

"Yugi!" Sugoroku Mutou exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace his grandson tightly. Yugi returned the hug, squeezing the other man within an inch of his life before he remembered that he was stronger than the last time he'd been here. That was an odd byproduct of being a symbiote host that he had to keep in mind.

"I've missed you, Grandpa," the linguist sighed, releasing the elder and grinning. "Sorry to drop in unannounced but I had a bit of free time and I thought I'd spend it at home. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't!" Sugoroku exclaimed, ushering his grandson through the back of the shop and into the apartment behind it. "Make yourself at home, I have so many questions!"

"Yes, Grandpa." Yugi lugged his suitcase and shoulder bag up to his old room, aware of Ame looking through his eyes and sizing up their surroundings.

_Modest_, the symbiote commented. It was much different from his rooms on Yggdrasil's ship, or even Yugi's quarters on base. The linguist's room was just as he'd left it, posters of Duel Monsters slapped up on the wall, his closet full of his old uniforms that wouldn't fit anymore. Looking around, Yugi couldn't help his smile.

_I've missed this_, he sighed, setting his bags down and sitting on his bed. _Even when I had the puzzle, all I was thinking about was my world. Now I know that what's out there, sometimes I wish I hadn't signed up._ Knowing that there was an insane Goa'uld out there wanting to take them, possess them, do things that Ame still had nightmares about…

_I'm glad you did,_ his companion said. _I don't think I would have found another host quite like you._

Yugi smiled, wandering back downstairs. _I wonder if Jounouchi's off of work yet. _He effectively put the other thoughts on the back burner, turning his attention towards the more common problems. He had a fair size amount of money to spend, both because of his salary as a member of the SGC and his remaining winnings from the few tournaments he'd attended over the past years. He could afford to enjoy himself while in the neighborhood.

_Why don't you call him?_ Ame suggested.

* * *

A few hours later Sugoruku had closed up shop, Jounouchi had gotten off of work, and the three of them had gone out to eat someplace that served the most ordinary food Yugi could think of. While they were sitting down a familiar black-haired young man crashed the party, Mokuba Kaiba inviting himself to their table with a smile.

"My brother knows you're in town," Mokuba informed Yugi matter-of-factly, accepting his menu after the waitress confirmed with Yugi that they wouldn't have to drag the younger Kaiba off.

Gazing at his menu, letting Ame choose what to eat, Yugi just hmmed. "I thought as much. When does he want me to stop by?" Because all the elder Kaiba would be interested in was trying to reclaim the title of Best from him, the duelist knew.

"He also knows about what happened at the mountain." Mokuba's eyes were deadly serious, directed as they were at the menu in front of them. "My brother's been keeping tabs on it, you know. In case he has to take action." The younger man looked up and winked at him. "He says that if you want to stop by tomorrow he can clear up the afternoon," he added, voice light and cheerful now. "He's looking forward to your match!"

Jounouchi and Sugoroku looked at Mokuba like he'd grown a second head but the target of their confused stares was unmoved. "I'll try to stop by," Yugi mused, his suspicions about Kaiba confirmed.

_Hope he doesn't try to dissect us or something,_ Ame shuddered.

_Kaiba's not a doctor,_ Yugi assured him. _Although he could probably hire a few…_

Ame gulped.

Aside from that odd exchange the evening went by without incident, Yugi savoring the taste of the food and updating his friends and family on the non-classified bits of the past few months. He handwaved his weight loss by claiming that he'd been ill and they didn't ask about it again. Instead they quizzed him about all the girls in his life ruthlessly, poking their noses in until Yugi was sure he was going to die from embarrassment. And Ame wasn't any help either, as he was too busy laughing at his host's plight.

As Yugi was paying the bill he glanced at Mokuba, finally asking the question that had been bothering him since the beginning of the evening. "Why did you come here, anyway?" he asked casually. "You wouldn't have come all the way down here just to tell me your brother wants to duel me."

"Of course not, I could have done that over the phone." Mokuba grinned at him. "I wanted to spend time with you! Just because my brother's a stubborn idiot doesn't mean that I can't be friends with you." The younger man glanced at his watch and waved. "I've got to get home, though. Big brother's been less… paranoid? Yeah, less paranoid lately, but I find it's best not to test the limits of his patience. Things tend to go 'boom'. See you guys tomorrow!"

Yugi returned the wave as Mokuba skipped out, bemused.

"What time are you gonna head over to Kaiba's tomorrow?" Jounouchi wanted to know as they left the restaurant "I don't want to give him the chance to do anything to you. What the heck was that talk about a mountain anyway?"

Yugi winced, trying to think of a convincing lie, but Ame beat him to it.

"I work in the US, there are plenty of mountains," the symbiote shrugged, his voice identical to Yugi's. "There're probably all kinds of secret US operations under some of those mountains. Kaiba really should be more specific next time."

Yugi mentally facepalmed. _And that's supposed to keep our cover how?_

"You're doing some work with the military, right, Yugi?" Sugoroku asked. "Don't tell me they just lock you under one of those mountains to decode some musty old artifacts!"

_You have no idea_, Yugi thought dryly. Instead he shook his head. "No, not quite that. I get to travel a lot and help their forces so we don't end up getting shot by people who don't speak English." Which was as close as he could get to his real job description as possible without mentioning other planets.

Sugoroku smiled. "At least you're getting to see the world! Although, why would Doctor Jackson be calling me about the Millennium Items?"

_Erk_, Yugi thought. "I think he recognized me from my days as a duelist and he's an archaeologist. Of course he'd be interested in an Ancient Egyptian pendant!"

The elderly man nodded. "Yes, that makes sense…"

They stopped at a crossroads and Jounouchi turned the corner. "This is where I gotta go," the blonde said, waving. "Talk to you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye, Jounouchi!" Yugi waved back, grinning. He yawned then, the long plane ride and the fact that he hadn't slept since his departure from Colorado Springs making him wish for his bed.

"Jet lag?" his grandfather asked knowingly. "Come on, it's not much farther," he urged, dragging the yawning young man towards the Game Shop. They went around back, bypassing the store, and as soon as he was inside Yugi kicked off his shoes and yawned his way upstairs.

He wasn't sure he hit the bed before he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

And here's the last chapter, everyone! When I said this was finished I forgot to mention that this was short. I could probably have split it into more chapters but I wanted there to just be three so it had a beginning, a middle, and an end. And this definitely ends this chapter. Sorry for others wanting an epic of SSR proportions but I've found that I finish more short fics than long ones (Skittering Tracks is the exception).

So let's get on with it. I don't own Stargate SG-1 or Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own Ame and Yggdrasil. I don't seek to make any money from this work, I just hope people enjoy it.

Warnings... someone has a mental breakdown leading to much bloodshed. Also, if others are like my beta, they might have mixed feelings about the aftermath. I'd appreciate feedback on it ^^

Thanks to JK and Eria for being awesome betas.

* * *

_So this is Kaiba Corporation_, Ame thought as Yugi paused in front of one of the Blue Eyes White Dragon statues guarding the door. _It certainly stands out._

Yugi snorted without thinking, then covered it up by fishing out a tissue and pretending to blow his nose. _Kaiba isn't subtle_, he thought dryly, though there was a bit of fondness in there as well. _But that's just how he was raised._

Jounouchi looked up at the statues. "Man, I'm glad Kaiba never decided to actually call one of these guys," he said, patting the stone. "That would be absolutely terrifying."

"No more so than your Red Eyes," Yugi noted, turning towards the door. "Have you been trying to summon anything lately?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Milus Radiant most of the time. It's small so I don't pass out and it's just like having a dog I can banish back to its realm when it chews on the carpet." As they entered and approached the receptionist they dropped that line of conversation, picking it up again once they were safely ensconced in the elevator. "How about you, Yugi? You been calling things?"

Yugi shrugged. "The Dark Magician again. He was stuck for a few weeks, though, since I got sick right after. And Kuriboh."

"I bet the Magician was ticked," Jounouchi said thoughtfully. "Torn out of his home for a few weeks? I'd be too!"

"But you're not a Duel Monster, loyal to your caller, who just so happens to have been the vessel of the reborn Pharaoh," Yugi said dryly. There was a reason he didn't call monsters very often. "If he was annoyed he hid it very well."

_Don't want to take advantage of people who are loyal to you because of your status, huh?_ Ame mused. _You're a lot better than Yggdrasil ever could be._

Yugi was saved from having to respond by the elevator reaching its destination. He got off, Jounouchi right behind, and stepped into a room that looked to have been ripped right from Kaiba's Duel Academy. He'd never been to that school, though he had met, before his departure to the US, one young hopeful and given him a card.

The fact that his deck was a graduation prize was a bit flattering as well.

"Mutou," Kaiba greeted neutrally, standing at one end with one of his Battle City Duel Disks on one arm. He waved at a monitor that Yugi only now realized opened onto a mirror of this room, children decked in yellow, red, and blue watching the holographic representation of Kaiba on the floor. "I hope you don't mind if our duel isn't private. It was too good of an opportunity to ignore, letting the students see how two master duelists played."

Yugi shrugged, his own Duel Disk already on his arm. He and Kaiba might have been using antiques but they were familiar, and he'd choose familiarity over high tech any day. "I don't mind," he said. _Kaiba might know about us but the Duel Academy doesn't,_ he added to Ame. _If he does try to call us out we need to deny it._

_No need for Jack to be angry at us_, his partner agreed.

Striding to the spot marked out for him opposite Kaiba, Yugi tried to ignore the cheers that erupted from the holographic audience that simply appeared in the empty stands around them.

The Duel took less than 20 minutes. During that time the audience was treated to several Blue Eyes White Dragons, the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, and more traps than they could count but by the end of it Yugi was left standing while Kaiba's life points hit zero.

The elder Kaiba looked more annoyed than angry but he dusted his jacket off and looked at the holographic image of one of the school's teachers. "Was that sufficient for you purposes?" he asked over the roar of excited teenagers.

The teacher nodded. "Thank you very much, Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mutou!"

"Dr. Mutou," Yugi corrected, though he was more amused than annoyed. He'd been out of the Duel Monsters scene for long enough that the fact he had a doctorate wasn't common knowledge yet."And I hope that our duel was helpful for your students." He surveyed the crowd, saw the boy he'd met, and waved to him. The boy, for his part, looked stunned before he waved back with over-exuberant force.

Kaiba nodded at some far corner of the room and the holograms faded away. Yugi took off his duel disk and flexed his sore wrist, grinning at Kaiba. "You've gotten a lot better!"

"Hmph." The other either wasn't interested in the praise or ignored it. "We have other things to talk about, Mutou. Like the fact that you're not just you anymore."

Jounouchi looked at Kaiba like he was nuts. "Come on, Kaiba, you know the Pharaoh went off to the afterlife ten years go! There's no way he could have come back."

"I'm not speaking of the Pharaoh." Kaiba advanced on Yugi, gripping the other's arm and dragging him close enough to stare unnervingly into his eyes. "I'm talking about a parasite that has no business on Earth."

_Trust it to Kaiba to shatter whatever cover you had,_ Yugi thought, exasperated and yet fond of the other duelist. "You do know that you're talking about classified material," he noted. If Kaiba knew he wouldn't deny it, although he'd have to explain everything to Jounouchi.

"What are you talking about?" And there was the blonde, looking between them, dumbfounded. "You know there's no such thing as aliens, right Kaiba?"

"I wish I could believe that," the brunette snorted. "So what's going on, Mutou? I know no alien could duel like you, but you can't expect me to believe it's friendly."

Ame took over, not even bothering to hide the flash of gold behind violet eyes. Jounouchi took a step back, obviously freaked out. "Kaiba, you just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" the symbiote sighed, freeing his wrist with a twist he'd learned to keep Yggdrasil at bay. "Come on, let's not have this talk out in the open. Jack'll have my skinny little head if he finds out. Jounouchi, you come too."

He led the way back to the elevator and let Kaiba punch the button for his office. Once they'd arrived he saw that Mokuba was there as well, the young man poring over a few college textbooks. He looked up at their entrance, face brightening at the sight of his brother. "Seto! How was your duel?"

"I lost, but that's not the point." Striding over to his desk Kaiba discarded his long trenchcoat and turned, leaning backwards against hard wood. "So. You must be Amemait."

Ame nodded, glancing briefly at Jounouchi. The blonde was doing his best to keep from freaking out, he could tell, but he would have to do some fast talking. "Yugi calls me Ame, though. I'm not a parasite, I'm a symbiote, and Yugi practically begged me to stay with him when I volunteered to go. I'm not hurting him, and I have no intention of hurting anyone on Earth. My goal is to keep the not-so-nice groups of my people from getting their slimy little paws on your lovely little blue planet," he said bluntly. It hurt, claiming the Goa'uld as members of his race, but there was Yugi assuring him that he was much different from those body snatchers. It helped, but not much.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "And why should I believe you?"

"Because if you try and get me out of Yugi, we'll both die." Ame glared at him. "And if you try to keep me prisoner, the US Air Force will come to free me. Sorry to say, Kaiba, but you don't rule the world. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me, I don't care. I'm going to do my best to keep this planet free."

Yugi stepped forward, gold once again flashing in his eyes for everyone to see. "And I don't want you to hate him," he said gently. "Ame's not Atem, but he's not bad, either. It took me a little while to realize that as well, but I don't know what I'd do without him." He wrapped Ame in a warm mental hug, turning away from Kaiba to Jounouchi. The blonde hadn't said anything, which was worrying. He always had something to say. "Jounouchi?" Yugi asked.

The other shook his head. "Man, just when I thought we were done with all this freakiness. You mean to tell me that not only is there magic and card spirits, but there are aliens too?"

"Aliens trying to either enslave or blow up the planet," Kaiba deadpanned. Mokuba snickered.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed. "That's what I'm doing now, working with people trying to save the planet." He glared at everyone, then, warningly. "You do know all of this stuff is classified, right?"

Kaiba opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by a resounding explosion outside. All four of them turned to look and saw a familiar, curved deadly shape fly past.

Yugi's stomach froze and he thought his heart had stopped as well, leaning against Kaiba's desk for support as he struggled to restart everything and come up with a plan. Ame was in a similar state, though he recovered much more quickly and took control.

"What the heck was that?" Jounouchi demanded, staring at the ships streaking over Domino City.

"Death Gliders," Ame said grimly, already reaching for the phone. "A Goa'uld has come to Earth." _And I think I know which one_, he added mentally, hands shaking as he dialed an international, classified number.

"Stargate Command," the voice on the other end said in a professional voice. "How may I direct your call?"

"This is Amemait," the symbiote said, glancing out the window. "I need to talk to General Hammond. Now."

The Death Gliders fired on the city again before peeling off, heading west, just as Hammond's voice reached him on the phone. "Let me guess," the General said. "You just saw some Death Gliders."

"Four of them," Ame confirmed. "They fired on Domino City and headed westward. I think I know who it is, General."

"Jacob and Sam told me of your suspicions, but we have no confirmation. For now return to the SGC. If it is Yggdrasil we'll be able to protect you better here." Hammond's voice was tight, concern and fear reigned in by iron control.

"Yes, General." Ame looked at the others in the room, calculating. "I'll be bringing in some civilians who are far more knowledgeable about the Stargate than they should be," he added, knowing that Jounouchi would come with him without thought. Kaiba, on the other hand, would be harder to convince.

"You didn't tell them anything, did you?" the General asked tiredly.

"You'll be surprised what they already knew," Ame sighed. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Let's hope the world doesn't end before then." He hung up the phone and glanced at the elder Kaiba. "Can we borrow a jet?" he asked hopefully. "I know yours are a lot faster than anything commercial out there."

Kaiba glared until Mokuba poked him in the shoulder. He glanced down at his younger brother, who was scowling at him.

"Seto, I don't think he's too worried about keeping this a secret anymore," the black-haired teen said shortly. "And if you help he might be able to keep you out of trouble." He glanced at Ame, who nodded. "So please help them?"

_Kaiba never could resist his brother,_ Yugi noted, finally recovered from that paralyzing fear.

Kaiba snorted, stalking out of the door. "Get to the underground bunker and don't come out even if I call," he said shortly. "If the world's still standing tomorrow we'll see."

Ame and Jounouchi hurried after him, trading glances. "Care to fill the peanut gallery in?" the blonde asked wryly.

"I hope you have your deck," was all the response he received. "Right now, Earth needs every weapon it can get."

* * *

On the many hour jet ride over Yugi and Ame told them the whole story, from Yugi's disastrous first mission to one Goa'uld's dangerous obsession with Ame. When it came to Yugi summoning the Dark Magician, however, Kaiba snorted.

"You still expect me to believe that the spirits of the cards live in an alternate dimension and you can call them here?" he asked skeptically, glaring at the open expanse of water below them and the thankfully empty sky above.

"The SGC does. Although Sam mentioned attacking us with recording instruments," Ame noted dryly. "I wouldn't have believed it either, except Yugi's summoned twice while I've been around. When it comes to proof, that's pretty indisputable."

Kaiba snorted and didn't reply.

The rest of the ride was spent with the three of them discussing strategies, even if Kaiba refused to believe they were viable. They only once ran into more Death Gliders, although the alien ships seemed less interested in one puny weaponless vessel and more interested in getting to where they were going far faster than even Kaiba's jet could manage.

They were almost at the SGC when the radio crackled to life and Kaiba frowned. "We're not close enough to our destination to be called by ground control," he said, reaching over to push a few buttons. A drop-down monitor appeared, a very familiar voice sending ice through Yugi's veins.

"Puny Taur'i," Yggdrasil sneered. "I, your god Yggdrasil, have come in search of what you have stolen from me. Until she is returned I will raze your cities to the ground, claim others in her stead." He waved at someone offscreen and another image appeared, security camera footage from that fateful night on the Goa'uld's pyramid ship. Ame, in Yugi's body, stood next to Yggdrasil, SG-1 kneeling before them.

"This is my wife, the Lady Amemait," Yggdrasil's voice continued. "Return her to me and I will spare all of your pathetic lives. Continue holding her and my wrath will know no limits." The screen darkened, the two humans staring at Yugi like he'd grown a second head.

"_Lady_ Amemait?" Jounouchi asked. "That guy has some serious problems."

Ame shook his head, offering a weak grin. "My host was female at the time of our marriage. I soon switched to male hosts, but he wasn't deterred. And he still insisted on referring to me as a woman." He shivered. "I had hoped that the fact that I'd killed him would have clued him in."

"It didn't, obviously." Kaiba regarded him with cool blue eyes. "Are you going to surrender to him?"

Yugi's fear chilled him as well, and he shook his head. "I'd rather die," he said honestly, "and Yugi agrees with me. Though things have a tendency to not stay dead around the Goa'uld."

"Obviously."

It wasn't very long after that that Cheyenne Mountain came into view, a very unwelcome sight above it. Yugi swallowed. "Yggdrasil's pyramid ship," he identified the hulking mass of golden metal. "He set down right on top of the SGC."

Along with the pyramid ship came a mass of Death Gliders, the jet forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a fiery death. Kaiba swore viciously and aimed for a relatively flat piece of ground a few miles away from the mountain, shouting behind him, "Brace yourselves, this is going to be bumpy!"

Yugi buckled himself in and hung onto his armrests for dear life.

* * *

Surveying the wreckage of the plane, Yugi counted himself lucky that he'd gotten off with just a scratch. He held a rag to his head, hoping that the bleeding would stop soon, while Kaiba and Jounouchi looked each other over to make sure they didn't have any broken bones.

"You okay over there?" the blonde called, wincing at the sight of the large gash over Yugi's eyebrow. "That has to hurt."

The linguist lifted the rag cautiously, relieved when only a trickle of blood leaked free instead of the river he expected. "Symbiote hosts have accelerated healing," he yelled back, wiping away what blood he could with his soaked rag. The gash really should need stitches but it was looking like it'd be closed by the time they got back to civilization.

"All right, it looks like we're mostly in one piece," Jounouchi summed up, shrugging back into his shirt. "We're just going to be really bruised in a few minutes. Now what?"

Yugi looked up at the pyramid ship, wrestling with his and Ame's fear to try and come up with a plan. "I don't know if Stargate Command has been taken yet," he admitted. "We have to assume they have been, which means we're on our own. There are probably Jaffa in these woods. If we can take out a few, get their weapons, we can sneak up on the mountain."

Kaiba pulled a handgun from his jacket. "What'll we do once we get there?" he asked cynically.

"Then we see how a false god fares against a real one," Yugi said grimly, pulling a card from his deck and turning it so the other two could see.

_Yugi, it wipes you out just to call the Dark Magician,_ Ame noted uneasily. _Won't that be dangerous?_

_Yes_, the human admitted. _But I can't let Yggdrasil have his way. We have to stop him here and now!_

"That's why I asked you guys to come too," Yugi continued. "I'll need to save my strength for Ra, so it'll be up to you to summon something to help us."

Jounouchi grinned, pulling a card from his deck. "Leave it to me!" After a bit of concentration, a black form materialized above the crashed plane. "Red Eyes Black Dragon!" he declared, wobbling unsteadily on his feet.

_I didn't mean something quite that big,_ Yugi thought exasperatedly, fishing in one of their salvaged bags for an energy bar. He shoved it at the blonde, already heading for the concealing forest. "Kaiba, you too."

Kaiba was staring at the Red Eyes incredulously. "That's impossible!"

"Just trust in your monsters and they'll answer," Yugi assured him. "Jounouchi has a good strategy, anyway. The Red Eyes can occupy the Death Gliders so they're not blasting the forest looking for us. If you call your Blue Eyes it'll give us an even better chance!"

Kaiba drew that card, looking at it doubtfully. Above him, the Red Eyes was tossing fire at a few Death Gliders that came to investigate, claws raking through hulls and sending screaming metal plummeting to the ground. Yugi winced when one came within ten feet of them.

"Jounouchi, send him somewhere where we won't be pancakes!" the linguist told him, still focused on Kaiba. "You can feel them can't you?" he whispered, stepping forward and laying a hand on the other's arm. "Your dragons know you're in danger and they want to help, but you won't call them. What if Mokuba were in danger and he refused to ask for your help because he didn't believe you could?"

Kaiba jerked away from him, surprise and calculation evident on his face as he thought that possibility over. After a moment he nodded, raising his card to eye level and glancing at the younger duelist. "What do I do?"

"Just open the way and they'll come," Yugi assured him. "Afterwards, try not to fall on me."

Kaiba's glare would have scorched him if it could but he nodded. In no time at all three dragons emerged from nothing, roaring challenge at the Death Gliders that veered away from them abruptly.

"You did it!" Yugi cheered, supporting Kaiba as the other nearly toppled over. "We don't have time to rest, though. By now the Jaffa on the ground know where the dragons are coming from and they're going to be on the way. We have to get moving!"

Jounouchi appeared at their side, energy bars in hand. "Eat up, Kaiba," he said glibly. "I don't want to have to carry you."

Already halfway done with one the elder man glared at him. "I don't need a puppy to tell me what to do," he retorted scathingly.

_Get his gun_, Ame suggested. _He won't be able to fire straight, and I'm not that bad at aiming._

They switched, Ame claiming the weapon despite Kaiba's protests. "All good to go?" the symbiote asked.

Glaring, Kaiba nodded.

"Let's go!"

* * *

It took them an hour to reach the base of the mountain. It was a nerve-wracking hour, the three civilians dodging Jaffa patrols when they could and Ame taking down the enemy when they couldn't. After the gun ran out of bullets he tossed the useless weapon back to its owner, claiming a zat for himself and tucking a knife in the waistband of his jeans.

Despite everything they were finally standing just outside the gates separating the rest of the world from the Stargate. Yugi stared up at the massive ship, suddenly doubting this plan. Next to him Kaiba and Jounouchi were doing the same, their dragons wheeling above their heads.

"I don't know how much more Red Eyes can take," Jounouchi winced. "He's been getting pretty hammered. So if you're going to call Ra you'd better do it now."

Yugi nodded, gazing down at the card. Now that they were here and it was time he was suddenly struck by how improbable this was. The Red Eyes and Blue Eyes were clawing at the ship's shield, screeching challenge at its unseen master, but they couldn't get through. Despite being the most powerful of the Duel Monsters, would Ra have any better luck?

_It has to work_, Ame assured him. _We have to do something!_

_Right._ Yugi took a deep breath and braced himself.

It hurt. It felt as if all of his energy were being drained from things that really needed it, bleeding away from him into the card in his hand. Ame wrapped himself around him, feeding his own strength into the summon as well, pleading for his human not to fade away as the Winged Dragon of Ra finally appeared above them.

_That's not all,_ Yugi thought dazedly, barely conscious and slipping fast. _Incantation… he'll go wild…_

Ame shifted into the driver's seat, wincing at the bone-deep fatigue he inherited as well. _I'll take care of that_, he assured, glancing at the red-hot card in his hand and reciting the words written there. He knew he'd succeeded when the card suddenly cooled and Ra screamed.

"Attack the false ones!" he commanded, willing himself to stay upright. It really wouldn't do to topple over before he could calm Yugi's dragon. "Show them why attacking us spelled their doom!"

Ra screeched, a sound echoing over the countryside. If Ame weren't so focused on staying upright he would have appreciated the sight of golden rays tearing into alien metal, his nightmare's ship crumbling into flames. Once the shields were gone the Red Eyes and Blue Eyes were able to get in on the attack as well, swatting Death Gliders out of the sky and taking their own revenge on the golden ship.

Jounouchi was suddenly at Ame's side, pressing an energy bar into his hand and supporting his weight. "You okay there?" he asked.

The symbiote bit into the bar and nodded. "Yugi's not quite here right now," he admitted, prodding the near-silent presence in the back of his mind. "Summoning Ra almost destroyed him."

A cargo ship emerged from the doomed pyramid ship, heading for the freedom of space. "Not so fast!" Ame snapped. "Ra, don't let it get away!"

Contemptuously the giant dragon, nearly as large as the pyramid ship it had been attacking, swatted the cargo ship into the ground with one claw. It landed twenty feet away from them, by accident or intentionally no one could guess. Ame downed the rest of the energy bar and waited for his system to process the gift, glaring at the smoking wreckage. Four dragons wheeled above them, fire and lightning lashing out periodically to keep leftover Jaffa from ambushing their callers.

A door opened on the cargo ship, a man clothed in mud green and blood red staggering out and surveying the damage with narrowed golden eyes. Once he saw Ame, however, his face lit up into a genuine smile and he started towards him.

"Lady Amemait," he said sweetly, sweeping his arms out in invitation. "It is good to see you here, my dear. Now we can crush these Taur'i like the vermin they are!"

Ame stepped backwards, bringing his zat up warningly. "Stay where you are, Yggdrasil. I killed you once and I'll be more than happy to do so again." He didn't try to hide the echo in his voice, the gold shimmering behind his eyes.

Yggdrasil paused, puzzled. "But you only did that to lead me to the Taur'i, didn't you my dear? And now that you have done so, we can rule over this planet like Ra was never able to. We will even topple Anubis!"

Eyes narrowed, Ame fired once. The Goa'uld before him fell, convulsing as the electricity arced through his body. To his credit he stayed conscious, though obviously only barely. The former Tok'ra threw the zat at Jounouchi and drew his knife, advancing on the fallen figure. Yggdrasil was helpless to do anything but watch as an angry symbiote stood over him, eyes blazing gold.

"Do you know what I sacrificed because of you?" Ame asked, voice low and dangerous. He knelt down and slashed across the Goa'uld's chest, parting cloth and skin in one neat pass. Yggdrasil groaned in pain, though Ame couldn't bring himself to care. Here was the man who had taken everything from him, who wanted to take even more and leave the world in ruins. Bloodied knife in hand he glared death at the one at his mercy.

"Do you know what I had to go through?" he snarled, stabbing the knife through the other's thigh. The cry of pain was music to his ears, the only other sound that of his heart in his ears, a quick fast beat. "I gave up everything to bring you down!" he screamed, lashing out with the knife again and again. Flesh parted and blood flew, staining his clothes and skin, scarlet counterpoint to blazing gold. He didn't notice how Jounouchi and Kaiba had backed away from him, didn't realize how inhuman he looked at this moment. All that mattered was that he was finally able to get back at the man that had caused him so much pain.

"And here you are, pretending that you love me, that everything's normal, and I hate you!" He plunged the knife into Yggdrasil's chest, barely missing his heart. He left the knife where it landed, gulping air as if he were drowning in an endless sea, unable to see anything but golden eyes and red. His fists pounded against the bloodied chest, tears choking his throat so that he could hardly speak. After a moment the last of his strength gave out, the toll from Yugi's summon and his attacks finally catching up to him."I hate you," he sobbed, falling backwards on his knees and hugging himself fiercely, trying and failing to block out what he had just done.

Despite everything the Goa'uld lived, pain-glazed eyes seeking out Ame's now-violet ones. "Do you truly mean that, my lady?" Yggdrasil whispered, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. If Ame wasn't so sure the other was a heartless shell of a man he would have thought he was crying too.

"I do," he replied, voice shaking. "I hate you so much I want you to die." He couldn't meet the Goa'uld's eyes.

"Then I am sorry," Yggdrasil said regretfully. "I should not have come to this world. I will leave it as you wish." He reached upwards, Ame flinching away, and grasped the handle of the knife in his chest. "I do not wish to exist without my lady at my side."

Before Ame could say anything to encourage or talk him out of it he'd yanked the knife out. Blood gushed from the wound, coating the ground below him, and with a shuddering gasp the Goa'uld Yggdrasil was no more. Ame stayed there, kneeling at his nightmare's side, and burst into tears. He didn't know why he was sobbing, grieving for the man he'd hated for so long, but he couldn't stop his breath from catching in his throat, trying to get past the lump that had lodged itself there.

Yugi stirred in his mind, coherent enough now to wrap him into light and warmth. Outside Jounouchi was there, wrapping Kaiba's jacket around his shoulders, urging him to stand up and move away from the body. Neither of the grief-torn souls could get up the energy to ask how Jounouchi had been able to get the Kaiba heir to part with his prized coat, too caught up in the realization that despite all of the pain everything was finally over.

* * *

It was a week before everyone had picked up enough pieces to figure out what to tell the panicked public. Jounouchi and Kaiba stayed at the SGC to help, explaining what had gone on while the mountain had been under siege. Kaiba was rather annoyed by having to stay away from his company for so long, but he made some excuse about needing to keep an eye on "the puppy". Jounouchi confided in Yugi that he thought it was because Kaiba cared. Yugi thought that perhaps Mokuba had threatened him somehow.

Yugi spent that week recovering in the infirmary, having taxed his already strained strength with Ra's summon, but he got plenty of visitors to keep him informed of the goings-on. Between Jack, Sam, Jounouchi, Kaiba, and Janet, he found out that when Yggdrasil had landed he'd immediately sent Jaffa into the mountain. That had kept the SGC tied down and unable to help, although they had managed to keep the Stargate open the entire time. Yggdrasil had been unable to escape that way because of the efforts of Stargate Command, which was why he'd attempted to flee in a cargo ship. Aside from that he was quite content to lie in bed and console the other in his mind, Ame still not quite recovered from the shock. Not to say that Yugi was entirely okay, either. Like he'd told Ame what seemed like a lifetime ago, his other's nightmares had become his own. To see them ended also affected him profoundly.

When he was finally released from the infirmary was the same day the President of the United States made his official announcement on the events from a week prior. Yugi, picking at his food in the cafeteria, didn't know what to feel as the President officially revealed the existence of the Stargate to the world. At least he'd be able to tell Grandpa the truth, he assured himself.

But that wasn't all. The President detailed the events of the attack, explaining about the Death Gliders and the aborted invasion. Yugi didn't pay much attention to that, either, though a picture on the screen caught his eye. It was an aerial picture of the remains of Yggdrasil's ship, SGC personnel swarming over it. What attracted his attention, however, was Ra. The Egyptian God was contently curled up around the debris, apparently asleep and ignoring the humans working busily beneath him. Off to the side pale blue bodies were curled up around a lone black one, the four sleeping peacefully. Anyone who was into Duel Monsters, he reflected, would be able to guess just who had helped save the world this time.

The President was saying something about going on with life as normal but the duelist didn't pay attention to that. His life, ever since the Puzzle, had never been normal, and he suspected that it never would be again.

_We saved the world,_ Ame said quietly, surprising his host. Since that day Yugi had hardly been able to get his other to speak.

_We did_, the linguist agreed. _But what did we lose?_

Ame didn't answer, but his heartbreak was enough.

* * *

They had a nightmare that night. Yggdrasil was leaning over them, gently caressing their cheek, but his eyes were glazed, his touch streaking red across their flesh. They were paralyzed by fear and revulsion, unable to move or make a sound as the knife struck down…

Yugi cried out into the darkness of his room, curled up into a ball, tears streaking down his cheeks. He flinched away from a touch on his forehead, only able to feel chill fingers. Ame wasn't in any better shape, trembling in the back of his mind. They had shared the dream, after all.

"Yugi, it is over," a familiar voice soothed him. "Whatever happened, it is done. You must set the past aside and move forward."

Yugi sniffled. "It's not over," he whispered. "Not as long we remember."

A deep chuckle. "My light, you would ask for your memories to be stolen because they are too painful? I can assure you, that is not the answer to your problem."

Yugi finally placed the voice, shooting upright in bed and blurting, "Atem?!"

Dressed in Yugi's old school uniform the former Pharaoh smiled at him. "You expected another?" He looked just as Yugi had seen him in their soul rooms, the only difference that his skin was bronzed rather than pale.

Yugi threw himself into the other's arms, burying his face in the presence he had missed for so long. "Atem," he sighed. "Ame… he's hurting so much, and I am too. Yggdrasil's dead, we watched him get buried, but we're so afraid. We thought him dead once and he returned, what if this is the case again?"

Atem stroked his hair, running his fingers through shortened strands. "He will not return, I promise you. Let his memory haunt you and you will have truly been his."

Ame stepped forward, clinging to Yugi's darkness even though he knew he had no right. "He owned me for three hundred years," he whispered, though his voice held no echo. And it wouldn't again, he promised himself. He wasn't a Goa'uld, so why should he sound like one? "For all that time I was his, and when I thought myself free…"

"You were always free, Amemait," Atem assured. "He had your body but never your soul. Remember, you escaped. If you had truly been owned you wouldn't have dared even that." He released the other, smiling in the face of Ame's tears. "Do you understand me?"

Ame nodded. "Thanks," he said gratefully, wiping away his tears. "I expect you want to talk to Yugi now, though."

"Yes. But before you do, please have my thanks." Atem was still smiling, and Ame realized that this smile was for him, not Yugi. "I've been watching all this time but it's only been since he met you that Yugi's really been himself. So thank you, Amemait. Or rather, Ame. I am grateful that you've been taking such good care of my light."

Ame didn't know what to say so he bowed, as was the custom from Yugi's home.

And then it was Yugi again, smiling at his darkness. "Atem, I was wondering. I saw you go into the afterlife, so how are you here?" the linguist wanted to know, although he hoped that the former Pharaoh wouldn't vanish on him.

Atem looked a bit sheepish. "I Ascended. I can't say much more than that, but I'm living on a higher plane of existence now." And then he looked annoyed. "Although the others who occupy this plane continuously infuriate me."

Yugi chuckled. "I can imagine." And then he was wistful. "I wish you could stay."

"There will always be another time. I cannot stop by very often, but that does not mean I can never pop in." Atem glanced somewhere Yugi couldn't see. "And I've overstayed my welcome now. Forgive me." He hugged Yugi again before he stood. "Please, both of you, remember what I've said."

"I will," Yugi promised.

_I will,_ Ame echoed.

A flash of light and Atem was gone. Yugi crawled back into bed, the shadows of his nightmare banished to the back of his mind.

Nothing troubled his sleep that night.


End file.
